Kaiju and Kaijin
by DinoMaster13
Summary: Kaiju and humanity, two classes of organisms set out on destruction and conflict for a perceived eternity. A series of events had occured, resulting in Kaijin, humans with bonds to gigantic monsters. With a world at the mercy of those with large beasts for decades, everything around them has changed. A new world awaits for those willing to explore it.
1. Introduction

_Kaiju and humans, two groups that never would agree. One would disturb the latter and conflict would ensue, most times ending favorably for the former. This was seem to be onset for millennia until one destroyed the other, until the Bondings happened. Suddenly, across the globe, humans and monsters were one, able to fight, defend and live together. Dubbed Kaijin, these humans could display various levels of control and communication with them. Rumors have that a few even share like abilities, superpowers of sorts. For now, most are fugitives seeking shelter from world powers and organizations seeking to control a beast of mass destruction. The world scrambles to piece itself together to find and try to contain kaiju and their Kaijin._

 _And to an extent, it worked. Plenty were discovered, and dealt with. Some were allowed to live in peace, others put on the run. Those unable to be commanded became kings and rulers, heroes and villains outside of the law. The more deadly were dealt with permanently, enlightening the issue of snapped bonds. A person surviving a severage would simply break mentally, becoming little more than a vegetable. If the opposite happened, the gigantic beast would go berserk and rampage until it was killed. When a terribly strong kaiju lost it's Kaijin, it resulted in a devastated Los Angles that was rendered uninhabitable for decades. Rumor has it that it still prowls the nearby area, keeping any attempt to reclaim it's wasteland._

 _After this, most were left alone, allowed to keep control in secret. Most kaiju, controlled and free took the time to return to remote places or hibernation But yet, something has changed, and kaiju are returning. The future is unknown,and is a stage once more for the play of Kaijin and Kaiju once more._


	2. Princesses and Pirates

A dark, early morning greeted _The Gilded Phoenix_ as it moved through the waters off the coast of Bangladesh The door to the lower holds opened, and Akami Azumi stepped out into the light if the early morning. The princess had her hair down, a rare sight, and a cup of turmeric tea in her hand. It was one of her favorites, spiced with a little lemon and ginger that helped round out the taste. It reminded her mostly of home, and of those that she had left when traveling on her year pilgrimage. It brought back the small tea ceremonies she would have with her sisters, and the good times that they shared. It was also a link to a time where she was more innocent and naive, where listening to the rules of those above you was important.

Though she had just left only two months before, she already had seen things that quickly shattered this. From the peaceful protests in China being cracked down on as if they were criminals to the hardships of life for those affected by war in the Middle East, governments could be just as bad as criminals. She had been helping with restructuring the government of Myanmar when a tsunami had struck the coast of Bangladesh and ruined several towns. Akami had been quick to go down, helping with the higher up management of relief resources and the more brunt work of helping rebuild homes and taking care of victims.

Now, the situation had calmed itself enough that it was time for them to leave. They had waited til early morning, as to avoid the worst of the pirates that had sprung up in the wake of the disaster. The starlight glistened off of the water, creating a beautiful effect for her to view. She stood on the edge of the ship, watching the scene with a sense of serenity and peace. It was almost as if Bangladesh was giving them a wonderful goodbye and thank you for their help. From behind her, a voice spoke out. She was able to recognize it, and a smile came upon her face.

"I am sorry to intrude your highness, but what is our next destination?" questioned Captain Mao. He was an elderly man, in his late sixties and as spry as ever. He had been a royal sailor for the Azumi family since he was a young lad, often taking much of the Royal Family on their pilgrimages in the past. He had also been like a grandfather for Akami, and had used her voyage as his last before retiring.

She turned to him, giving a warm smile to her old friend and compatriot. "There's no need for such titles Mao. We're all friends here."

"Old habits die hard Akumi," Mao said with a chuckle. "And it will be needed in the future when we return home. But never mind that. Where are we headed next?"

"I don't know yet," she said, turning back towards the ocean,"There's just so much left to do, and-"

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sight of something approaching on the horizon. Focusing her attention on it, she tried to discern it from the darkness of,the night. Leaning forward, she drew attention of it to Mao.

"What is that out there? Over there," she questioned her friend, pointing, "coming out from the horizon?"

Mao grabbed the collapsible telescope on his hip, extending it out and looking out towards the quickly growing shape. His posture stiffened, and he quickly barked out commands to the crew before turning back to Akami.

"Pirates. Return to the hold Akami. They might know who we are, and you could very well be in danger. Who knows what they could be armed with."

She gave a nod, trusting her friend. Discarding the cup of tea, she quickly made her way to the door, shutting it behind her. She was quick to discard the more casual outfit, and fitted on a more mobile outfit for the eventual fight that she predicted would come. Once that had been done, she carefully began to put her hair up into the bun that was more familiar of her.

Mao, meanwhile, had returned to the helm of the ship, and started the engine. As the engine lugged into life, the other crew members were quick to secure everything down for the speedy escape. One of the last things to come aboard was the anchor, and the ship was quick to speed away after.

As they moved on, the attacking ship followed after them with a rapid speed. The occasional sounds of gunfire came as well, but nothing seemed to have a real purpose of hurting them. Mao was quick to point the ship to more open waters, and the [i]Gilded Phoenix[/i] quickly cruised its way towards there. As the small crew cheered onwards, Mao felt conflicted. Something wasn't right here, why would they allow this easy of escape if they didn't have some sort of plan in place. Hequickly spun the helm to change their course, sending the crew sprawling.

The split second decision was a life saver, as the waters the boat had been headed for suddenly exploded at the upward movement of something from beneath. As it crashed back down, most of the crew gasped in fear while they held on. A large humanoid was standing there, giving a wet screech in rage. All sailors knew of the Green Gargantua, but it had been some time since the last appearance of Gaira. It pursued them towards the pirate ship, eventually closing the distance from deep water and the ship. Whenever he tried to pull away from the pirate ship, the giant would approach, swiping out at the ship. Hovering between the two, Mao shut the engine down. It didn't take long for the smaller pirate ship to approach, and connect with _The Gilded Phoenix_. Four men quickly rounded up the above deck crew, with two more headed below.

Once they had been secured, three more boarded the royal ship, a woman flanked by two men. Approaching the rounded up crew, she flipped her hood down and gave a smile that chilled Mao to the core. She spoke with a accent that seemed of warm climes and harsher crimes.

"Now, what do we have here? Looks like good pickin's for a Captian Tablian and her crew, and a feast for our friend here."


	3. Revenge of Vakishim

Outskirts of Portland, Oregon, 02:30

Neon lights casted a pale glow on the gaunt face of James Williams as he mopped the floor of the 24/7 Gas 'N Go. His mind had wandered elsewhere while working, a common feature at a job like this. Times had been hard to him, his 'gift' making it hard for him to settle down much of anywhere. He gave a snort at the thought of it as a "gift." A curse was more like it, driving him from most places and keeping him in a nomadic state. He had been lucky to just grab this job, working a late shift keeping track of the gas station. It was an older, family owned one, as corporations tended to keep track of who worked with them.

As the mop pushed water around the floor, the necklace on his neck began to heat up and hum. James didn't seem to notice it at first, until he glanced at the mirror behind the counter. He soon whipped his head back towards it, his fears materializing there. Instead of the normal shape of James, a large orange and blue beast that seemed to live inside of him. It looked straight at him, and a voice pierced his mind.

 _It is time. Let me free James. Let go of this pointless resistance. There is no need to have them rule you, when we could make them fear you._

Holding his head from the pain, James spoke aloud to the empty room. "No. I won't listen to you. Everything's your fault, and there isn't anything you could do to fix it."

 _Very well then_ , it hissed, seeming to scrape on the insides of his skull.

 _If you will not free me, then I will free myself from your weakling body. You will regret your decision._

The image's eyes flashed blue for a brief bit, before it faded from the mirror. Seeing the episode end, James relaxed some. This one had been particularly bad, and these usually had resulted in him taking over his own body. Somehow, he had won this time, proving that he was the dominant one. As he celebrated, he ignored the sounds rapidly approaching the building.

He had never realized how much it hurt to be hit by a car. It crashed through the front little lobby area, hitting him and sending him flying into the wall of glass doors and drinks. As he struggled to retain consciousness, the driver stepped out, hood over his face and a gun pointed square at his face. He spoke, but the words blurred into babble to James. Just as he blacked out, he could hear the voice he dreaded speak.

 _There we are. Now, I can take control and destroy everything!_

The potential robber was oblivious to the changes of the young man, pointing the gun and shouting loudly at him.

"Alright dumbass! One last time, and I don't blow your head to high heaven! Get up and give me all the money from the register."

The still form of James slowly began to stand, bones that had been snapped and bent out of shape returning to their normal ones. His eyes remained closed and his face calm, until he turned toward the robber. Giving a scowl, the lids flew open to reveal blue orbs instead of the normal pupils. Giving a loud shriek, it raised a hand towards the now frightened intruder.

It took merely a second before a stream of fire erupted out and towards the man. The intruder screamed in pain, running around the store in an attempt to put out the flesh cooking flames. He soon collapsed into one of the shelving units, knocking it over. The monster controlled James didn't even notice, and looked out towards Portland. There was plenty to burn in his wake, and little that this form could do. His shape began to change, quickly growing past the constraints of the small gas station. The explosion of the station was soon followed by the gigantic form of a kaiju. Clashing it's arms together, Vakishim roared out to the world, hearlding it's death by flames. Letting loose a set of flames, the terror beast began its rampage.

Mt. Hood National Forest, outside of Portland.

Beneath a cleft of rock, a shape suddenly leaped up. Leslie had been camping out in the park for some time, enjoying the connection with nature that she seemed to have. Something had disturbed it however, sending her into a protective mindset. Reaching over to the radio, the only luxury she allowed, she flicked it on. Immediately, it went into a newscast instead of the usual rap music that she had left it on.

"- are encouraged to take shelter and seek designated safety zones. Highways have been shut down for emergency vehicles and military forces to seek easier travel. It is encouraged to take shelter from the invading kaiju, and follow all orders given by law enforcement."

She flicked it off, and thought carefully. Few were likely to follow it, and a kaiju that wasn't known to her was attacking. Carefully thinking the decision over, she reached out to her ally that slept off the coast of Oregon. It wasn't a complex link, but one she could reach in dire situations.

"Hey big guy. Something's wrong, and more of your department then mine. Mind taking a look."

The reply was quick, coming in as an affirmative growl. The rapidity was starling, as it took a longer time to even make contact in the past. She gave a nod out of habit and spoke back.

"Good to know you're on in the know how. I'll meet ya there."

Cutting the link, she stood up and maneuvered her way out of the rocky cliff. She set out, and began to make her way to Portland. There she was certain, that the fight would happen. She could only hope that the people could make their way out safely. Lives were at stake along with the balance of the world. It was up to her and her big friend to take care of the problem.


	4. A Most Unnatural History

Outskirts of Mount St. Helens National Park, Washington 21:40 hours

Towards the Southern portion of the crater of the volcano, a large barbed wired fence outlined a large facility. It had been constructed around a large natural structure that had become uncovered after the eruption. Its oblong structure and hooked end secured the contents of a growing beast. The cocoon was thrumming, with the scientists and military personnel scrambling around. All knew what was suspended in the cocoon, and what threat lay from it.

The doors in the back of the main control room swung open, heralding the entrance of a gruff looking man. His uniform held three stars of honor, and the scar on his lower jaw showed that he had earned them through hard work rather than ass kissing. Walking up to the central command console, he looked out towards the cocoon for a bit before speaking.

"What the hell is going on here? I want a status report, now."

"The cocoon began communications with its counterpart out east four hours ago General Anderson. The signals have been getting stronger since then," said the slim man at the right of the general said. While Miles Sander had spent the past 30 or so years studying the chrysalis that had been uncovered here, he had dreaded this day. Ever since the first couple had popped out back in 2014, he knew that they would be a menace. And yet here it was, still alive and suddenly active again. He continued to speak, explaining the information found.

"The patterns are nearly the same as they were back in 2014 sir, with slightly different fluctuations for closer proximity. And there's something else sir. A weaker signal coming from the other direction, near Seattle at our best guess."

"What? Are you saying there's a smaller one growing beneath one of the biggest cities on the West Coast?"

Miles gave a sigh, and shook his head. "No sir. It's too small for that, and it'd also been moving closer as well. There's been no news of a kaiju pillaging this way yet."

A look of understanding and shock dawned upon the general's face. The situation had been considered before, but there had been little protocol of figuring out if one had bonded was nearly impossible. At least, that's what Miles could pull from it. There was a sinking suspicion that this had already been known to the General, but he kept his mouth shut. Silence stifled the air, until the general spoke once more.

"Are you sure?"

"Nearly one hundred percent positive. It'd be the only logical reasoning that a Kai-"

The lights of the building suddenly dimmed and went out, as did a large portion of the gear outside. While the backup generators began to kick in, Anderson whooped around and nearly shouted at Miles.

"What the hell was that? Is the cocoon-"

"No. Fast pulses are still visible on the outside of the cocoon. Power remains in other places on the facility as well. Something else did this."

As he thought, the sounds of gunfire punctuated the air as soldiers found a target. They were soon replaced with screams of pain, and a shadowy form darted towards the compound. The general focused on the form outside, his shape being illuminated occasionally by what looked like sparks. He wondered who this person could be, and why he had chosen now to appear

Miles however, was watching the cocoon, and it's quickly increasing pulse rate. Realizing what was bound to happen, he quickly grabbed the general shoulder. The aged soldier whipped around, glaring at him.

"What the hell do ya think you're doin-"

The power suddenly went off,,silencing everyone. A large crack sounded off, and the tip of the case shot off of the cocoon. It crashed into a nearby set of walkways, sending more soldiers sprawling and flinging into the air with terrified screams. The inhabitant of the cocoon began to pull itself out as the head scientist and general scrambled amongst others. They had cut through a corridor, racing through it with another in tow. They were lucky to have missed the claw tearing through the building, while the unfortunate worker was quickly dragged along with it.

After scrambling through a maze of chaos and destruction, they reached one of the outside tar macs. They stopped there, panting haplessly to try and catch their breath. One end of the road led to a sealed gate, while the other was stuck in a swirl of glowing embers and billowing smoke. It took Sanders some time, but he noticed the form of a young man standing near the billowing smoke. When he spoke, it seemed to dominate over every other sound in the area.

"You, you have kept him stuck here. Caged, like some sort of freak mutant. Just like you tried for me General, didn't ya?"

At the mention of his name, Anderson froze in fear. Miles could only shoot him a dirty glance before the person in all black spoke again.

"But it didn't work, did it? I escaped, and now he's free. Soon, she will as well, and we'll be a family, a real family. And the world shall become what it was meant to all those years ago."

Out from the smoke a large, bent arm slammed into the ground, followed by another. An almost organic but geometric head loomed out, angry clicking noises emanating from a body within. On the man, electricity suddenly flowed between his clenched fists, illuminating a face lit up with rage.

"But first, to deal with those that stand in our path."

All either men could do was scream as the head shot forward towards them, jaws wide open


	5. Battle on the High Seas!

The shrouded pirate leered towards Mao, eyes glinting with malice. She paced back and forth casually, seemingly contemplating the many possible fates for all those that she held captive. The smile she held was almost as sharp and pointy as her gigantic companion. Her words seemed to grate against the ears of the captain as she spoke, softer than silk but scracthed the soul like daggers.

"Seems here t' me, dat you all got somethin o' worth. Pretty odd dat such a _luxurious_ " she rolled, seemingly being playful with her words, "yacht such as this be 'n waters as 'dees. Dere's been an earthquake if ya hadn't noticed. Not de best time to be around, with all of de pirates that be about. Could be dangerous for a small ship like yours."

With each word that she spoke, hatred began to burn in Mao's chest. Having sailed in waters from China to the Indian ocean, the Caribbean to the horn of Africa, he had seen first hand what pirates could do to ships. He had lost one too many good friends to ones like these, their throats slit or their heads shot inwards. While these ones weren't all that well armed, the looming giant above them made him hesitate to struggle. All sailors knew of the Green Gargantua Gaira, as he had been one of the few kaiju to actually feast upon people and seek them out. He settled for staring down the 'captain' of the crew, waiting for a good time to strike. She had continued on her rant, almost not caring of his change of demeanor.

"Thanks to ya poor timin, we were da ones to stumble on yah. And we ain't da ones t' normally leave such a purdy boat as dis in one piece. Our gargantuan friend here needs t' eat as well," she explained, waving a hand at the kaiju behnid her. At the mention of himself, Gaira gave out a small roar, looking towards the crew as if they were a row of sushi. Most flinched back, while Mao contended himself to simply stare down the rambling pirate. She continued on, not caring if they were looking at her or good beastie "Friend". "It be what happens when a ship comes floatin by ol' Captain Tablain and her crew. We all gotta eat, and make a livin you know."

What they all missed, kaiju included, were the sounds from below of a struggle, quickly silenced. Nothing more came from beneath but what could be interpreted as the sounds of soft feet padding on. The pirate closest to the hold door didn't even glance back, assuming that it had been one of his companions. It was too late when he noticed the pair of hands grab him, and drag him down below without a single sound. The head pirate went on,

"Lucky for you though, I am feelin pretty nice. More dan normal as to say, but that madders little t' you. So here's your options, as you got 'em. One, ya hand over ya valuables and the ilk, we take ya boat, and we leave yah in de swamps near here. Two, we take everythin, kill half of ya and feed them to Gaira, and let de others go to tell de tale. The choice is yours."

Before anyone could give an answer, the sounds of wood hitting bone and the men behind Tablain falling to the deck made her whip around. What she was both took her breath away slightly, and fueled her rage. A slim girl, hair slung back in a ponytail and dressed in a yellow and black fighting suit stood over her men, two wooden weapons in her hand. She spoke with a regal and dominating voice, making the pirate all the more mad.

"We take option three. You call off your beast, drag your men back onto your ship, and leave before we call for assistance."

Giving a snarl, Sydney whipped out a knife hidden beneath her outfit. Spitting onto the ship's deck, she called out to her Kaiju. "Gaira, eat this bastard of a woman!"

Obliging his kaijin, the Green Gargantua reached down towards the ship's deck. Before he got close, a sound came from his right that made him turn his head suddenly. It was greeted with a rock like fist, slamming into Gaira's nose and shooting him away from the boat. His attacker's ears raised up, and a roar left King Caesar's mouth. Sydney's jaw dropped a bit, caught off guard. Another one of the kaiju, here? The chances were-

"I did not come alone," came the response from Akami. "If we fight, it is you and I. Let the beasts sort out who wins theirs."

Recovering from the blow back, Gaira stood up from the crater of water and silt that had been made from his fall, and turned towards his foe. What he saw puzzled him some. It seemed to be hairy, and life like similar to himself. Its ears were gigantic however, and the eyes looked more like rocks than anything else. Not intimidated by this new foe, Gaira gave a screech and charged forward. He collided with King Caesar's midsection, trying to send his foe flying. Casear barely budged, simply grabbing onto Gaira's head with one hand, and throwing a fist into his exposed backside repeatedly. Each fist landed with a loud thunk, making Gaira squeal in pain.

Freed from his foe's grasp, Gaira blocked the next punch headed towards him and swung a fist upwards. It collided with Caesar's lower jaw, sending the golem staggering backwards. The green Gargantuan took little time to continue hitting, smacking fists into the golem's chest. King Caesar stumbled from the blow, quickly receiving a few more strikes that sent him crashing into the water and seemingly vanish beneath the waves. The green Gargantuan gave a victory screech, and moved in for the kill.

On the deck of the ship, the fight was just beginning. "Bruja! Die!" Sydney screamed, dashing forward with her knife raised. Her veins were bulging, and she seemed to be in a frenzy. Just how Akami wanted her to be. The knife swung downwards, missing the princess and hitting nothing. One of the princess's tonfa's swung out, with the pirate only barely parrying away. Akami quickly went on the offensive, swinging both weapons in a more open matter, clashing against the steel of Sydney's kinfe. Each blow was parrayed, the space between the edge of the ship and Sydney only slowly closing.

As rapidly as Akami had changed strategies, the tide of the kaiju fight did as well. When Gaira approached close and began to reach down for his foe's throat, he was once again greeted by a rocky fist. The blow sent the Gargantuan flying upwards and down into the bay. Caesar had simply been awaiting for an opportunity to attack, and had in a stroke of luck knocked the attacker out cold.

Standing on his feet quickly, he made his way over to the prone body of Gaira. He picked him up by his neck, claws carefully placed on the trachea. Without hesitating, King Caesar began to apply pressure on the beast's throat, aiming to end the threat to the one he protected. He let out a roar as he did, ears flicking up as in victory. A cry to his right made him whip his head around, seeing another of the beasts on the land. This one was brown however, and didn't look as predatory as the one in his hands.

At the appearance of Sanda, Sydney gave a cry and suddenly dropped to the deck with the knife bouncing off into the water. The sudden change of the battle threw Akami off, stopping her advance on the pirate. She watched in confusion as her foe didn't move for a few seconds before she began to raise once more. When both locked eyes once more, Akami couldn't help but be taken aback. No longer were the eyes the green ones of cold and malice, but brown ones of warmth and understanding.

Nothing was said between the two, but the looks that the two gave each other was more than enough. Sydney quickly tore away, and in a line of Portuguese shouted at the pirate crew. They were quick to return to the ship, not arguing in the slightest. She looked back to Akami, and spoke with a voice that did not sound remotely in tone like to the one that she had fought with before.

"I'm sorry for this."

And with that, she dashed off towards her boat. Reaching the bridge that connected the two, she was quick to unlatch it and ride it to the pirating vessel. The ship quickly took off, leaving Akami to simply watch as the ship vanished off into the horizon. Quickly connecting with King Caesar and what had been happening with him, she began to use some of her influence.

Sanda and Caesar had been in a stare down, the former not doing much with his brother in a death grip of the latter. When Caesar received what Akami wished to happen, he gave a rumble and proceeded to do so. Lugging his combatant's prone body, he approached the smaller giant. Looming over Sanda, Caesar gave a low roar and deposited the kaiju's brother at its feet. Giving one last stare, he returned to the waters and began to follow the retreating _The Gilded Phoenix_.

On board, Akami sat leaning against the railing, deep in thought. Mao came up beside her, able to sense the princess's conflicted nature. He said nothing at first, letting the waves lapping against the boats do enough on their own. Akami was the first to speak, only saying one short sentence.

"She was like Hayfa."

Understanding shot through the old sailor quickly. Hayfa had been a quiet village girl that Akami had met during her travels in Afghanistan that she had been close with. Genetics had cursed her with a split personality disorder that had been tearing herself apart. Hayfa had been the normal side, the more aberrant one more beastial than human, requiring being locked in a room. It was the last day that Akami was in the village that she had found her stoned to death by superstitious villagers thinking she had been possessed.

The ordeal had left Akami torn and ragged, and had led her to try and help those with handicaps mentally and physically more. Mao knew that she knew what she was talking about, and couldn't help but be supportive of her.

"I don't think we've seen the last of her," he said softly, "And there will be more than enough time to try and help her out. Of anyone around, you are one of the more qualified ones to understand."

Akami simply nodded, her features relaxing some. This made a small smile grow on Mao's face, and he related some news that had been sent to them after the fight. This had been a highly unusual message, but something of this degree was needed for a future family member to know firsthand.

"We're moving on. After contacting your family and informing them on what had happened, they relayed us with a special mission. We are to receive a package of relief supplies in Hong Kong, and make our way to Portland in America. There's a kaiju attack going on currently, and by the time we get there they'll need help."


	6. GodzillaXVakishim: Showdown in Portland!

The once peaceful city of Portland had been turned into a nightmare of fire and death. Swathes of the city lay cooking in roaring fires, others crushed beneath the thundering footsteps of its attacker. Vakishim itself was currently finishing up with the Oaks Amusement Park, bashing the last ride into rubble. Giving a screech in victory, he turned his sights to the close by Downtown area.

His eyes glinted with hate and lust for the towers to be destroyed, picturing the burning skeletons crashing into the ground. The thought would have normally earned a chuckle from the beast, if not for the conflicting feelings in his head. He could feel the human struggling to regain control to end the freedom. Shaking its head, the terro-beast gave a growl at the gnawing pain in the back of his head.

It took some time, but the beast was able to retain control of the body. Giving a screech, he began to continue on his march to the skyscrapers. The time that he had spent struggling with the conflicting personalities was more than enough for the retaliation to roll in. America was wise enough to realize that an entire world of kaiju had been just by the door, and there had been little besides using nuclear weapons to fight against them. Borrowing some gear that the Japanese had made, and adding the wonderful world of drone Technology, a new tool had developed.

Mobilized Maser Deterrents, or MMDs, were invented based on the fact that the less soldier involvement in kaiju conflicts meant that less lives were lost. Drone technology had been rapidly advancing, and using the same systems used in self driving cars, the mobile tank units could get into a fight with a kaiju, retaliate, and retreat without ever being manned in the slightest.

Two lines had moved forward on the other side of the bank, and taken aim at the struggling beast. With the movement forward once more, two lines of masers shot out at the beast. They collided in various parts of his body, making him cry out. He backpedaled some, covering his face from the carving blasts of energy. It went on like this for a few seconds, before Vakishim had enough. The choju charged forward, and let loose blasts of fire from holes near its hands. They quickly bathed the MMDs, the front line dead center in the blast. Those that could reverse did so, scooting back to avoid the wrath of the beast. Some were not so lucky, and had been reduced to piles of molten slag.

Vakishim gave a screech of victory, and continued on to the towering skyscrapers ahead of it. The thought of the gigantic buildings toppling down in burning slags excited it, and he wanted the path of flames to greet those still fleeing ahead of him. Fire once again left the beast's hands, bathing all that stood in front of him into a fiery inferno. Black smoke clogged the night sky, obscuring the colors of yellow, orange, and red of the fiery glow.

Everything was going to plan as Vakishim approached, until something crashed into him. Vakishim was sent flying, crashing down into a mall and obliterating it to rubble. Struggling to get up, the Terro-Beast tried to process what had just happened. There weren't Ultras in this universe, which he had been sure of. Yapool had selected this one for its variety of kaiju to use in other places, and the overall lack of the Ultras. The thundering footsteps that made their way to his fallen form indicated that this attacker was heavier than any foe he had tussled with. What sort of creature could have come this far to face him?

Vakishim struggled to his feet, eventually returning to a normal stance. Once upright, he shook himself and prepared to duel with his attacker. What he saw however, sent a chill through his body. His foe stood menacingly, looming over him. Large spines that looked like mountains descended down the back of it, with a boxy head at the end. The green scales glimmered with the light of the fires, as claws primed themselves to strike. Brows were furrowed at him, with a scowl finishing the grimace. It inhaled a deep breath, and let out a bellowing roar that echoed throughout the city and shook Vakishim to the bone.

This beast was known as Godzilla, sharing a name with more destructive mutants that roamed the planet. A guardian of the natural balance, it had sensed the invader's movements and awakening and had come to fix this error. He gave a snort, unimpressed by this bizarre creature that stood before him. While he couldn't make head or toe of what it was, it didn't seem to be all that threatening.

Vakishim however, had been cowed by Godzilla's appearance. This creature seemed to be a living god, a protector that he shouldn't have angered. The Terro-Beast shook his head, and answered the challenge with a scream of his own. He almost felt embarrassed at the intimidation from this newcomer, which simply fueled the rage that grew within him. Blue, crystalline eyes met the yellow pupils of the other, a silent message being sent between the two for a brief moment.

The peace lasted for only a second more, before the two titans clashed.

Godzilla charged forward, attempting to knock Vakishim down with a tackle. It was met with by a stable Vakishim, who smacked the Permian predecessor square in the face with his arm. Due to momentum, Godzilla quickly was sent crashing off to its right. Quick to recover, Godzilla swung his tail with all the might it could muster. It collided with Vakishim's chest, sending him flying back into a skyscraper. The impact shook the ground, being felt by those almost a mile away.

Among those who detected it was Leslie, the saurian's kaijin. It had taken a large amount of lying, pleading, and a bit of violence to get as close as she was currently. She only regretted the fact that she had to hit that one guard upside the head. He was fairly cute, and a hell of a lot nicer than anyone else she had met on the way here. At the distance she was, she could see the battling shadows that were the beasts, seeing the attacker go flying into the wall of one of the skyscrapers. She didn't know which one, but this was the furthest in a city she had gone to in quite some time. She checked mentally to see how the big guy was doing, only to be shoved out quickly. She would've been offended, but that was how their relationship was at times.

Meanwhile, Vakishim righted himself in the hole he had made into the skyscraper, giving a low groan as he did. It had been too long since he had actually faced a foe worthy of combat, and was rusty in his skills. When he looked out, the charging form of the creature could be seen again. Thinking quickly, his arms raised up at the charging beast. Streams of fire shot out, creating a wave of flame that hit Godzilla. He took enjoyment from the predator's cry of pain, watching him be swallowed by the yellow and orange glow.

Much closer to the fight, Leslie could suddenly feel the heat, making her stumble and fall on a bent pole. She was not so much of a fan of the shared pain between the two that seemed to be selective at times. She leaned against the pole, catching her breath and gritting past the pain. Linking with her kaiju, they moved in tandem with the next move to strike. She relished the sensation of being stronger than normal, enjoying what was about to happen.

Everything was going well in Vakishim's head up until he saw something moved beneath the fire. Giving a screech, he increased the intensity of the fire. There was no way this beast could survive such an attempt from him, nothing could survive the fires that he let out. Fear struck him however, as jagged fins broke through the flames like a shark through the ocean. His eyes widened as the head of the beast lunged out, seeking his face.

Instead of Vakishim's face however, Godzilla's mouth closed down on the throat. His hands grabbed the struggling beast, holding tighter than a vice. Using all of his strength, the green saurian lifted the struggling Terro-Beast up and threw him to his right. Giving a screech, Vakishim went flying outwards and crashing into the ground closer to Leslie was. The blue eyes scanned the clouds of smoke in an attempt to see where it would come from. A flickering blue light caught his attention, and he watched with an untold dread as it crept upwards and upwards the spine of his foe.

With a sound of plasma contacting air, a concentrated beam of blue shot out from Godzilla's mouth and into Vakishim, sending the beast deeper into the crater that it had formed with the impact. It gave a scream in pain, followed by a series of explosions that covered the beast's body until nothing could be seen. Once they ended, Godzilla walked forward to see what remained of his foe.

Reaching the crater, he leaned downwards to examine what remained. There were no body parts or sticky remains of blood that usually dawned a crater after an attack such as that had been. Instead, a single human body sat inside, knocked unconscious and covered in torn clothing. On top of its back lay a wooden totem of some sort that gave a vibe of pure evil. The kaiju gave almost no second thought, rearing his head back to eliminate this foe for good when a voice interrupted.

"Oh no you don't. This one's my problem now."

Godzilla and Leslie locked gaze for the first time in almost a year, acting at a sort of standoff. The kaiju gave a huff, communicating mentally what he was conveying. It earned him a glare from the girl, and she quickly rebutted it.

"No. I'll take care of him down here. You've done your part, now it's my turn. Last thing I need is another dad trying to do everything for me."

The kaiju gave a huff, rolling his eyes before rearing back up to full height. Taking in a deep breath, he let out a roar that echoed throughout the city of his victory against his foe. Sealing off his mind, he turned from his kaijin and the prone foe and began to follow the path he had taken into the city. It was enough for him to go and rest for the time being after the fight. Instinct told him that his old prey had revived had revived once more, and others were close. It was going to be the start of a full blown war, and any break would be a good one.

Leslie gave a huff at the showy appearance, before sliding down into the crater. She carefully watched the prone body to see if there would be any movement to be worried about. Nothing seemed to give the sign that he was soon to be doing anything. Checking for vitals first, she took the totem that sat on his back and stuffed it into a pocket. Gently maneuvering him to a safer position, she carried him over her shoulder.

"Well mate, whoever you are, you're with me now. Welcome to the hardest next few months of your life."

With that, she began the arduous trek back towards the rescue centers. They'd be covered in the dust and dirt between there and their current location, so there would be few questions to be asked. Once they got checked out, she needed to make a call.


	7. Batte in the Outback

Tenant Creek was nothing to write home about. A small town nestled in the middle of the Northern Territory of Australia, it was simply a blip on the map. Unfortunately, it was also home to a more disturbed kajiin. The teenager sat in the middle of the town of the highway, yelling some sort of demands to the entire town to listen to. Most of the town had gone into hiding, with a few cars torn to shreds and only a few splashes of blood.

The kaiju that was linked sat on the roof of the Tenant Food barn, watching intently for signs of a person to walk by. The arrow head and overall diseased look showed it to be a Gyaos, one of the more common of kaiju that bonded with kaijin. Number was a usual factor, as there were more Gyaos than any other kaiju species in existence. They were also some of the more warped of the kaijin, with mental instability, displaying a range of ghastly behaviors ranging from the more mundane as this one to full bouts of cannibalism.

The shape of a person walking towards the two came from the haze of radiating heat from the highway. The teen ranting whipped around, pointing towards the approaching shape from and gave some sort of demand. The hazy form seemed to reach for something that glinted in the sunlight. A crack sounded out, and the raving teen suddenly dropped to the ground.

The reaction was instant with the Gyaos, who screeched in pain and anger. It took off with a single flap of its wings, gaining altitude fairly quickly. Locking onto the shape of what it had last seen through the boy's eyes, it shot down and shot down the highway, locked on to target. As it opened its red stained mouth, a set of jaws suddenly clamped down on it. It only had time to yelp in surprise at the massive triangular head shook violently, causing the smaller beast's neck to snap in two. Dropping the carcass down, Gorosaurus let out a roar in victory.

"Nice job bud," said the man who had helped end the reign of terror. Joel Mundy had been impressed with the job they had done. Minimal lives had been injured from their arrival, and the rouge kaiju and kaijin had been dealt with. All in all, it had been a good day. Reaching for the radio on his belt, he quickly pressed the button and spoke.

"The situation is currently green. Kaiju and kaijin have been dealt with, your boys can move in Lowery."

Three shapes off in the distant began to kick up dust as they moved in, two of them headed towards the body of the kaijin while one moved towards the duo. Gorosaurus gave a growl, eyeing the approaching vehicles, to which Mundy gave a clicking noise to.

"Don't worry bud, they aren't after you. Go ahead and eat up, you deserve it."

The giant dinosaur gave a grunt and began to tear a wing off of the Gyaos. It snapped off as the car stopped near the two, and a man stepped out. Mundy had never been much of a fan of Agent Lowery, having to listen him as a representative of the Australian government. His brow hair, suit, and black sunglasses were also very cliché, and it made him look like a prick.

He stepped out from the vehicle, looking over Gorosaurus and his meal before approaching Joel. He spoke, not wasting the time for pleasantries that would have been ignored.

"Nice job Mr. Mundy. Your country appreciates what you've done."

"Uh huh. Third Gyaos in the past couple of months. Best look into that."

"We already are," was the stout reply, "And Australia is in need of your services once more. The UNKT has called any available government associated kaijins to assist with a developing situation in America. We are asking you to go to Perth, meet with Dalton Briggs, and head over to America. "

The name shot through a memory in Joel's mind, gracing upon the loud and rowdy form of Dalton and his quite rough kaiju. A small frown developed on his face, which was soon dealt with by the government agent.

"In helping with this, Australia would leave you alone for good. It's an international issue, and we wouldn't have asked so soon."

"Fine," was the quick and curt response from Mundy, "But I expect that you keep your end of the bargain. You leave me, Goro, and my research alone, and I'll help."

He simply gave a nod, and returned to the car. Joel watched on, seeing the vehicle join the others by the body. He gave a glance to his companion, and looked eastward. It had been some time since he had visited America, and it would be an adventure on its own


	8. Reminiscing at 20,000 Feet

Wingbeats of his familiar kaiju were comforting to Malcom. Sure, there were dangers up at these heights, but his links and gifts graced to him by the ones he considered family allowed him to survive with ease what would have killed a normal person. So he sat in the crook of the armor that sat near where the head piece of the armor would meet with the back armor. With the flight being the only thing going on, he sat and reflected on what his life had been like.

Malcolm Carter had never been a normal person. Not that he had ever proclaimed to be, having spent most of his life on the outskirts of schoolyards and society. Children could be nasty in that way, separating those who didn't feel right from their group. Most had found Malcom bizzare, with his shifty behavior and the talking to people that weren't there disturbing. It had just been something since he was young, and had only been influenced more by the voices that he heard.

They had not been mean voices, not like the ones that Billy had in 8th grade that told him to stab their teacher six times and jump out a window. His were friendlier, helping him out when no one else could. He hadn't realized that they weren't imaginary until the age of six, after most of his other ones had dissipated. Their presence had been different as well, a more electrical feeling than anything else.

Not that he had been checked for such a thing. Children in the system weren't checked upon as much, with the Honolulu ones being overrun with children that had been orphaned by the M.U.T.O attack in 2014. There was always people moving around, and it would seem like a fight to be how he wanted to exist. So when an opportunity presented itself, he took it as fast as he could.

The adoptive family took him away from the warm and sunny climate of Hawaii to the more temperate and rainier Kirkland, Washington, one of the suburbs on the outskirts of Seattle. He soon found out that it had its pros and cons like Honolulu did. The positives were a cooler climate, and the voices being stronger and closer. The downside was that people treated him like a freak of nature, and he usually had a few hovering not too far off waiting for an opportunity to strike.

They found it on a dreary day in October, only a few days from Halloween. Malcom had been nestled at a table, deep in a book about the biology of the dissected M.U. . The bullies had hid silently in the shadows, wearing poor quality masks in the visage of kaiju. Jumping out, they pushed his chair over and began hitting him with a ferocity he hadn't seen before. It was more than enough for a hidden ability to come out, perhaps given by the voices that cared for him.

Electricity surged out from the nearby sockets, hitting his attackers directly and surging through Malcom. While his attackers thrashed in pain, it calmed him enough to run to the librarian. When the police and ambulance workers had come and asked questions, he went as he knew and couldn't say much on the subject.

No one was permanently injured, but the effects were pretty clear in the school. Billy had his incident months after attacking him. One of them had a nervous twitch, and one couldn't even look at him without freezing up. Everyone else simply gave him a wide berth, letting him have almost free reign during the time of high school.

It was at this time, just after learning about kaiju in a biology course, that he realized the true nature of the voices in his head. The change in knowledge was less frightening than relaxing, proof that he wasn't all that crazy. Using their help, he was quick to learn the new range of abilities that had been bestowed upon him in various ways such as emitting a small EMP to using lightening as a whip. The neighbors had mentioned strange lights in the backyard at night to his parents, but he was never the one to be blamed.

After a few weeks of graduating high school, he went off on a "road trip." Encouraged by his parents to enjoy the last summer before attending college, he took off in the hunt to find those that had been helping him the most out of his entire life. The closest he had found was near Mount Saint Helens, in a pod that had been preserved beneath the once active magma chamber. He had awaited from afar, watching carefully as the soldiers moved in and out, reading the signals that went back and forth from the computers. Most of the focus went onto the pulsating cocoon, and realizing that it was the one he had been seeking for most of his life.

And now, here he was on the back of one of them. Here, soaring above the world and safely nestled in a cranny, was home. There was little verbal communication, mostly spoken through the world of electric pulses and careful touches. For the first time, a peaceful smile sat on his face. A click came from the winged beast, and Malcom simply gave a nod. The M.U.T.O began to descend in a spiral, with the form of Yellowstone National Park being barely visible from their height. They had reached the location of the female, and soon they would be a complete family.


	9. Open Seas Debriefing

Joel Mundy sat in the small meeting room with a disinterested look on his face. The various men strewn about the small room were mostly sailors and MONARCH men, which made some sense as they were on a carrier. He glanced over across the table to lock eyes with Dalton Briggs, the other kaijin on board. Mundy cared little for Dalton, his rough and eager fighting spirit countering that of his own more reserved personality. He was giving Joel a grin that indicated he had another one of tricks stored up his sleeve.

Their kaiju didn't get along much either, both almost being polar opposites. Gorosaurus was like Mundy in a few ways, such as being more reserved and calculating in his attacks rather than a bull rusher. When in a fight, he relied more on his mouth and kicks, using his tail as a leaning tool. "Red King", as Briggs called his kaiju, was a pinheaded monster with gigantic arms and a rock spitting ability to boot. It was also one of the biggest bullies that Mundy had seen, with a penchant to pick on the smaller and weaker beasts while running when the situation was the least bit against his side. The two were a perfect fit with each other, and a royal pain in the ass.

It didn't take long for the people in charge to enter the room. One was Admiral Benson, the one who ran the carrier that they were on. Joel respected the Admiral, as he was often the one that got sent to cart around kaiju for the UN. It wasn't the easiest job with the hard heads up above him, but Benson was able to do it without batting an eye. The fact that he was also Australian and enjoyed some of the things that he did was a big contributor as well. He tipped his hat towards him, with the admiral giving a nod back.

The second was someone that Joel had only had the honor of working with a few times. Dr. Serizawa was one that had been a researcher of kaiju with Monarch for a long time, and after the events of San Francisco, he became a top researcher in the field. Mundy had the honor of meeting them the first time during the building of the facility, and he soon became a source of information and methods on studying Gorosaurus. It had been some time since he had seen the man, as he had been in New Guinea studying the effects of a small swarm of Kamacuras and their effect on the ecosystem. Before Mundy could go up and greet either of them personally, the rest of the people in the room took a seat with both late arrivals approaching the end of the table. When the hubbub died down, Dr. Serizawa began his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. As you may be aware, a large amount of kaiju are demonstrating destructive habits across the continental United States. Just a few hours ago the fight between Gojira and a new creature being dubbed "Vakishim" finished, resulting in the supposed destruction of the beast and untold amounts of lost lives and property damage. Alongside this, a new set of MUTO's that had been suppressed from public knowledge have hatched and become active, and are headed towards St. Louis."  
Taking his glasses off, Serizawa rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking back up. He spoke bluntly to the crew, a pessimistic look etched into his face.

"At 7:45 P.M Central Standard time, we lost contact with a small Monarch post in Southern Mexico. We think it's the Beasts, with an unusual amount of kaiju activity being detected by satellite. The movement is northwest in direction, aiming for California."

Mundy held his breath at the mention of the group. Las Bestias de la Muerte, or the Beasts of Death, were a group of kaijin and rouge kaiju that held control of a large portion of Central America and Northern South America. They had for the most part kept to there, not expanding into anywhere close to Mexico. The fact that they had gotten past the border's line of defenses meant no good in the slightest. What they lacked in powerful kaiju, they made up for in numbers.

"That is why you are here Dr. Mundy and Mr. Briggs. America is desperate for an actual line of defense, with the Maser battalion that they've assembled being too small for a nationwide scale event that they're experiencing. They contacted the UN, and made an agreement to pull in what sources they could to assist and deal with this upcoming issue. There will be a pooling of resources in Honolulu, and a quick ride over towards San Diego, where the team will prepare for the potential invasion incoming from the South. The US-Mexico border still remains a hazardous place to travel even for the, and the only way into the states is through Baja California. From there, more will be revealed. If there are no more questions, we can proceed. "

Both kaijin at the table now held grim faces, giving short nods to the doctor. The severity of the situation wasn't in need of reinforcing, as both had done their own fair share of work. An army of kaiju and kaijin could be devastating, and the two of them wouldn't be enough to handle with just Red King, Gorosaurus, and a few militias of Mazers. Right now, the thing that they would need the most would be a miracle. Joel looked at the wall, quietly wondering how Gorosaurus was doing at this moment. Rising up from his seat, he left the people moving around and assessing priorities to the maze of passageways to the upper decks.

After several minutes, he was able to get to the top of the ship. He squinted at the sunlight that blared down at him, stepping out as his eyes adjusted to the difference. The sight of sunny clear skies and crystal blue waters greeted him, what normally would be a sight that would warm his heart. Instead, he could only feel doubt worming its way deep into his heart and settling in. Making his way to the back part of the upper deck, he looked outwards at the ship's "cargo"

What looked like two long rafts drifted behind the carrier, hooked in by long cables that vanished somewhere out of his vision below. On top of each raft lay Gorosaurus and Red King sleeping soundly, with only the occasional twitch of the tail to show that they were actually able to move. Mundy had not been the biggest fan of strapping Gorosaurus down to one of these things the first time, but they had a capability of moving kaiju that weren't the best swimmers across long distances like the Pacific Ocean that couldn't be beat. Most ships that were UN or Monarch based had places for these cables to attach, for dealing with moving kaiju around for kaijin or detaining the more troublesome ones. The rumor had it that there was a "Monster Island" where those deemed too dangerous to keep roaming were held, but baseless for the most part.

A small smile dawned Mundy's lips at the sight of the slightly snoring Gorosaurus. Just looking at the beast made him feel better, part of the reason why he had stuck with him longer than most things in his life that he had studied. Every day was the adventure that he craved with the big guy, and the big facility was a bonus as well. His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of the door opening and closing again. Turning his head back, he saw the grinning face of Jack Benson greeting him. He turned around, grapsing the extended hand and bringing him in for a short hug.

"Jack! Good to see you mate," Joel said with a smile, "Wish it was in better circumstances, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. How've you been?"

"I've been great," Jack said with a smile, "Almost couldn't be better. Running this ship is still a pain in the ass, but when is that ever different?"

This brought out a round of laughter between the two, lightening the mood that had draped itself around Mundy. Jack continued on, with Joel listening intently as possible.

"Parents finally retired a few weeks back, even though they've been able to for the past three years. Work has been keeping me pretty busy, but I've been able to get in a few dives here and there with Maria. Last one we went on, we found an old Spanish carrack that hadn't been recorded yet."

"Nice. How is she? Been awhile since I've heard from her."

"She's been great. Her salvaging and scuba diving business just set up an office in the Philippines, adding their fourth international place along with the three back home in Australia. All about the same size as the first mind you, but business is doing well. As for our relationship, well,"

He paused in his explanation, fishing into his left pants pocket and pulling out a small box. Flicking it open, he showed the contents to Mundy. Inside sat a ring, made of 14 carat gold and shaped like coral. At the top, sat a shiny pearl that seemed to have the color of the sea. Giving a smile, Jack continued on.

"I'm thinking it's time to propose. We've been together for five years now, and I think it's time. After this run, I'm done with my stint that I can give to get retirement from Monarch and the Navy. The plan is to go the Great Barrier Reef on a dive, take her to the spot that I think is the best in the entire reef, and propose."

"That isn't a diamond. Is she gonna be okay with that?" was Mundy's only question. He got a small grin from his friend, who was putting the box back safely into his pocket.

"She's been harping on me for ages about that actually. 'Jack, I swear to god if you propose with a diamond, I'll kick your ass,' has been a thing since eight months in. She wasn't going to be won over with a thousand dollar rock like any other girl. So on one of my free slots, I did a dive and got a Muu pearl. And before you give me flack on that, I did what I was supposed to do."

"Me? Give you flack? Why would I ever do that?" Joel questioned, laughing as he got a slug in the arm from Jack. Once he was done, he spoke again.

"No man, it's perfect. I think that Maria will love it. You just keep me posted on how everything goes, because I'm going to the wedding. I don't care if I have to go and use Goro over there to crash it, I will be there. But seriously, congrats mate. I don't see why she wouldn't say yes."

"I wouldn't dream of not inviting you mate. And thanks. Means a lot to me coming from you."

Both gave a smile and a nod at each other, and looked outwards at the sleeping kaiju. It was better to think of the more positive things of the future than focus on the bleak parts that were almost right on the doorstep for them. They would take the peace of now to the whole destructive and death filled future that awaited them.


	10. The Death of Mexico City

Coastline off of Santa Tomas, Baja California, 10:45 PM

A boat slowly pulled into the small bay by the mountains, slowly vanishing from the sight of the nearby sea. It pulled into the cove, a scarred and dented hull with paint that imitated the beasts of the deep. The name of "Bloody Plunderer" could be seen adorned on its side, showing that the crew was not the best of individuals. As it pulled in, the true beast that had been following it surfaced, giving a small snarl as he properly surfaced. Gaira had gone a far distance for all of this, and was a bit tired and grumpy.

Once the boat was looped onto the makeshift dock, a small bridge was put down and secured. Not soon later, a woman walked down onto the dock with a set of knives that glinted in the lantern light. Piercing green eyes looked forward, a grin laced with malice dawned on her lips. She was soon followed by her crew, swallowing most of her in shadow. She kept the pace up, greeting the one standing at the end of the dock with open arms and a friendly greeting.

"Manuel! It has certainly been too long. I hope that everything is going well. How are you doing?"

The person that she was greeting stood almost stoically, blinking slightly at her seemingly friendly manner. He made no move when she embraced him, rejecting any emotion that could be given. His beast stood in the shadow given by the cloudy night and the cove, tail twitching and a low growl leaving its fanged jaws. He spoke only a single sentence, a statement that was in demand of an answer.

"You're two days late."

Sydney gave a huff, letting go of her embrace and brushing a hair back off her face. Of course he was all business first, anything relative towards emotions second. She'd known this for so long, so why had she expected him to be any different.

"I was chased after an attack. A royal cruiser had a kaijin aboard, and the other side came out. We got chased to Hawaii, but were able to shake her off there. We took the long route to be sure we weren't followed."

He simply gave a nod, taking in the information carefully. Locking his grey eyes with her piercing grey, he waved for her to follow him. She followed suit, with Gaira doing so as well and her crew resupplying the ship. They made their way through a small passage and into the makeshift camp. Tents were strewn about, with various things being packed, prepped, and tested. A makeshift gun range could be heard, with the familiar sounds of gunfire and those of other weapons that she was only vaguely familiar could be heard going off. Other groups could be seen walking on patrol, training and prepping for what was going to come.

"Things are operating as planned," went Manuel calmly, gesturing here and there as needed. "There's plenty of weapons and ammunition to do what we need, and with the new areas that belong to us and those that soon will, resources won't be too much of a problem. We made it this far up the coast without a single amount of resistance, and little signs of other people left in the areas. We think they fled up north in our coming. It'll make the plan even easier to get established."

"About that," Sydney spoke, looking intently at the back of his head, "Is what you're planning even safe considering the diablo that roams there? There's a reason the Americans didn't take the city back."

All gave a wide berth to the walking duo and the two kaiju that made their way through the compound, headed towards a back area. A few gave a nod or a salute to Manuel, which he returned as he needed. He ignored the pirate's question, instead leading her towards a large cavern in the back of the camp. When they approached it, the sight took her breath away. Manuel took this time to answer her question, using the sight as his basis for an answer.

"If that red bastard decides to appear, we'll be able to handle it and any other kaiju that comes our way. Nothing will stop us for our goal, we shall be the dominant force on the planet. No one will be able to put us beneath their boot anymore."

Inside the cavern, there was almost nothing but kaiju and kaijin. A large pool allowed for water kaiju to come in and out unsuspecting of the world above. High perches had been carved into the upper regions, resting a variety of flying beasts such as Gyaos, Kamacuras, and giant birds. The waters beneath were full of aquatic beasts, from the familiar Oodako to ones that she had only heard of in passing, such as Ebirah and Maguma. The floor of the cave held a myriad of creatures that each had a wide array of weapons and natural tools at their disposal.

"The first test of the coordinated team is happening now as we speak, with the conquering of Mexico City being ours soon. They're being led by my brother Marco. The update I last got was that they had finally gotten past the defenses after an hour's work. They should soon take it over, and then the world is ours!"

Manuel's kaiju stepped into the entrance of the cavern, the lights showing the green hide of the Rhedosaurus. Rearing his head back, he let out a terrifying screech that vibrated the entire cavern. Several others answered him, giving almost a war cry that shook the air. Gaira even joined in, raising a fist into the sky. Turning to Sydney, Manuel gave her a smile.

"Now, all we need to do is wait for the others to do their work."

Turning towards Sydney, he gave a smile that she had seen only a few times beforehand in their shared childhood. A hand extended out, an offering towards her as his honeyed words seeped out from his mouth.

"Would you be as kind to help me, my old friend?"

Sydney gave a thoughtful look, as if contemplating a decision she had made as soon as she had seen the sight of the kaiju. Locking eyes with her childhood friend, she spoke with a bravado and gusto that was befitting of her.

"How could I resist?"

Mexico City, 12:37 AM

The best and brightest city in the entire country of Mexico had quickly become a nightmare with the advance of the Las Beastias de Muerte. The pitiful attempt at a defense that had surrounded the city had been used as toys, testing tools for future conquers. Those inside the city could only wait and sit in fear for their turn at the wrath of the horde that was right outside their doors. Those who were close enough to the battlefield could hear the explosions, cries and shrieks that would haunt their souls to the day they died, if they survived themselves.  
It took only an hour and a half before the wrath was switched from the troops to the city itself. People ran panicking through the streets, seeking anywhere that had a perceived amount of safety more than the horde behind them. In the aftermath, it would be found that over one hundred people died not at the hands of the Las Bestias, but by the feet of panicking refugees. They would be the few lucky ones to die in a less horrible manner.

Eduardo Bonaventura was one of these people, reduced down from his relatively high spot in life as a businessman and cartel dealer into a panicking bystander. He ran at the outer edge of the crowd, his mind occupying a place of almost outsider observance rather than one of in the moment. He watched almost apathetically as the first of the Gyaos swooped in, grabbing a few people in their mouths and fly away to a nearby building out of sight. One could almost see the cackling madmen that were strapped on their backs, directing where they flew and who they attacked. He watched as more and more vanished into the reptilian mouths, either swallowed whole or severed at several different parts. In his mind, this was registered as good. Better him to survive this than be devoured by the flying beasts.

After a few more had swooped in and taken a few more, the bombardments stopped. It didn't mean that the crowd did however. There was too much risk, and they would rather go and live rather than die in a swarm of people that had no real sense of direction. As he quickly scrambled through the alleys without a second glance backwards, this proved to be a smart decision. From around the opposite side, a beast that had long thought to be dead emerged from the cover of smoke, giving a deep shriek in rage and pain. Once part of a thriving ecosystem that dwelled beneath the waves, this beast was one of the last Paleosaurus that roamed the planet. Like its relative that had attacked London, it had be changed by nuclear radiation to become more than just a simple dinosaur. All the crowd had was time to scream in fear before it let out an electrical pulse hidden with radioactive energy. The people were quickly bombarded with the equivalent of standing near a nuclear explosion, the deadly energy penetrating and mutating quickly. Most fell to the floor, their bodies twisting and being covered in burns. The beast simply continued on, letting the bodies soon turn into charcoal remains.

As it entered the street, a shirtless man walked in front of beast and its waves. Rather than being crippled by these devastating waves, he seemed to positively glow in the light of the beast. He was a skinny, frail man, his pale skin just barely draping over his bones and organs. One could almost see the pulse throb through his veins with each heartbeat, looking almost as if two steps from death. Despite this skeletal look, he was highly animated, almost dancing among the charred corpses and lumps of scar tissue that were near unrecognizable as human. A few scars dawned his body, but for the most part he looked more like a smooth skeletal puppet than one that lived.  
A grumble from the kaiju made the reveling man pause, taking a glance down the alley that Eduardo had dashed down a ways beforehand. His eyes narrowing, the bald man reached down to the radio on his belt. Fumbling with it for a bit, he yanked it out and pressed the green button for communication. He rose it to his mouth, and spoke with a voice that would chill others to the bone.

"Pierre to Chavez. A runner's heading over your way. I expect you to take care of it."

"Got it boss. He's good as mine," came a voice through the crackle of the static.

"You better," was the reply before the device was shoved roughly down back into its spot on the side of his belt. He continued with the frolicking, stopping a short distance away to pick up what once had been a human skull. He twisted it around a few times in his hands, before crushing it into small fragments that fell on the ground in a unceremonious pile in the bodies. He gave a small chuckle, and continued on with his raging kaiju to cause more death and destruction.

Eduardo however, thought that he was well away from the fight. The sounds of the beasts seemed to be farther off, although their loud footsteps and the wails of those who were dead or dying seemed to ring in his ear no matter where he went. It also did not help the confused man in the slightest that he had wandered down an alley maze and had gotten himself completely lost in it all. He was wandering them aimlessly, running at the sounds of any loud noises close towards him.

After a half an hour of this was met with nobody, not a single soul cowering in the corners of these streets or hiding under a building. As he began to realize the severity of this, he rounded a corner to find the sight of another person standing there with her back turned. He relaxed a little, seeing that the stranger was alone and not with one of those beasts. He called out to her in his native tongue, and then in English to make sure that he understood him.

"Hey amiga? You alright?"

When the other turned around to face him, little warning bells went off in Eduardo's head. She was oddly relaxed, as if the events spiraling around them were something that were normal for her instead of insane. The way her eyes lit up with recognition at the sight of him was foreboding as well, with the smile chilling him to his very core. When she spoke, his blood froze.

"Ah, there's our little escapee. You won't be as lucky this time."

He then noticed the entirety of the front was coated in blood and bits of organs, and the sharpened teeth that was her smile. He backpedaled a little, panic taking over his body. He turned to run, only to stare into the face of a beast out of time. It looked down hungrily at him, saliva forming at the edges of his blood cover jaws. Eduardo only had time to scream as the jaws came down around him, shaking his body and swallowing it whole.

"No fair! I wanted to play with this one. You've got the last three Zeddy. You gotta let me have a few too," protested the woman below. Zedus gave a low whine in an attempt of pity, leaning down with his head fins lowered like dog ears. The look earned some, as she gave a small sympathetic look.

"Aw, it's okay buddy. Just leave the next few to me, and we'll be even."

She gave a hug to the snout of Zedus, who gave a little grumble in appreciation and affection. When the radio crackled to life, she let go of the kaiju and reached down to her belt. He reared up, not noticing the blood print that sat on the edge of his snout. As she began to listen, Zedus had his head pointed upwards and gave a growl. Something was setting the reptile on edge, and Alexa could sense it. The reports that came from the radio only clarified it moreso.

"Gyaos 2 to the crew. The group in the center of the city is acting funny. They're jumping into this new hole, and-"

The call was interrupted by a loud crack that shot through the city like a gunshot in a small room. Not waiting for Zedus, Alexa was quick to bounce to the top of the nearest buildings that were left standing. Once on the top, she could see what had changed in the landscape. What had once been the most open plaza in the center of Mexico City was now a gigantic hole. On the breeze that blew past the kaijin, she could almost hear chanting coming towards her. It was faint, but indicated something a lot stronger than its volume.

 _Yong-a-ry! Yong-a-ry! Yong-a-ry!_

From within the hole, something stirred. Silence enveloped the city as a horn erupted from the hole, followed by a reptilian head with lower tusks on the jaw. Pulling itself out of the hole, it gave a roar to the heavens. Yongary, the legendary kaiju, had returned once more to the world of man to save it from the folly of itself. He would defend those of this city and the world from dangers such as these, and destroy those who would stand in his way.

On the ground nearby, an older man in black robes knelt on the ground with pain. His mind brimmed with the new connection that it had made, thoughts and memories transmitting between him and the beast that now stood in the light of the fires. He could see the glimpses of the globe in a time dominated by kaiju and beasts that were no longer, the blast of a meteorite that ended this era for quite some time and how it hibernated until it was better for it to emerge. A battle flashed in its mind of winged horrors and a feathery serpent, and the process of another short respite from humans. Yongary in turn got chunks of the man's life, but also that of the recent burnings and death of the people. It filled the beast with a lust for vengeance, fueled by his new priest's lust for revenge for the death and carnage.

It didn't take long for the beast to get a response. The Paleosaurus could sense within his bones that an old competitor had arisen once more, and had turned to charge from where he was. Zedus gave a screech, leaping over the buildings he was lurking behind to get closer. Landing at a street that gave him a straight shot, the frills opened up and he gave a roar in challenge. He ran head first at the new Yongary, completely focused in on the new arrivals soon to be exposed innards.

These thoughts were soon interrupted by a flying building. It crashed into Zedus, sending him into another building. It gave a wail in pain, struggling to escape from the rubble as it did so. Both Yongary and the Paleosaurus focused their attention to the cloud of debris and smoke, awaiting to see what was about to emerge from within. An outline was soon visible, revealing a massive, hulking creature approaching. Each footstep it gave sounded like thunder as it approached, booming across the battlefield as it did. From the cloud, a loud roar echoed out that chilled the blood of those around them. There were few that could not recognize the call of one of the most iconic of kaiju, the Eighth wonder of the World. All could recognize the King of Skull Island, one of the first kaiju ever sighted in the world and one that wrecked the world of New York City in the past and others around the world.

Kong stepped out of the clouds of dark, a cross look on his face. Looking towards Yongary, the two stared each other down, neither making a move towards each other. Yongary flexed his claws and growled, while Kong gave a snort towards the dinosaur. Each looked ready to attack the other if it was needed, only holding back as if they were waiting for the word. The priest was on his knees, looking up at the giant ape in surprise. Did these monsters have control of the giant ape? Had the mighty king been used as a weapon for malcontent?

The answer came from a hand that extended in an open gesture to help the man up. He reached out and grasped the hand, and was pulled gently to his feet. The elderly man locked his tired brown eyes with youthful ones of energy, and a slight smile on the face of the man in front of him. He spoke with kindness in his voice, speaking in the tongue that he was most familiar with.

" _It looks as if you could use some help Father. I hope that Kong and I can help you with your kaiju problem."_

" _Thank you my son. Mexico City is the hope of all of her people as it has been for ages, and we are all that remains for saving them."_

Rey gave a nod, and brought the priest to his feet. Both stood up, briefly shaking hands before they turned to the beasts. Kong and Yongary gave each other a nod and a grunt, and squared off. They would work together as needed against these foes that presented unbalance and strife for the world. Yongary's eyes looked towards the marching Paleosaurus, an ancient feud rekindling at the sight of the beast. Both roared out at each other, claws and teeth clenched at the sight of each other. The clash would be a bloody and fierce one, for the dominion of the city.

Kong meanwhile, focused on the now rising Zedus. While he knew little of the beast, it seemed to be similar to the meat eaters on the island. Pounding on his chest, Kong gave a loud roar in challenge to Zedus. He watched as the beast shook itself free of the dust and debris that had stuck to its skin. Zedus turned to the primate, the fins on the sides of his head opening up. The reptile gave a scream at the ape, wanting his corpse as payment for the affront that it had suffered being crushed beneath the building. It prepared to leap, crouching slightly as the muscles tensed with anticipation.

High above both of them, two Gyaos with their riders sat circling above, awaiting the orders to swoop down and turn the tide of one of the battles. While they had not yet reached the state of Super Gyaos yet, the flying creatures were still beasts to be reckoned with. They could provide that one moment of distraction needed to stop these guardians long enough to have their larger compatriots deal the finishing blow.

They were only still for a fraction of a second before they split into clashes that shook the earth around them.  
Kong and Zedus were the first to reach each other of the combatants. The reptile had leaped up to pounce on the would-be unprepared Kong. When a hand caught his throat, it was clear that Kong was not going to take this kind of attack easy. The ape could clearly remember a specific one of the predatory scalies that would jump like that, and he was a quick learner. Not wasting time, he rose the head of the kaiju and flung it into the ground. It crashed into it, the head bouncing off the ground with the strength used. A quick kick sent the beast flying from where he had landed into a series of buildings, sending them into pieces of rubble. Zedus stood up from attack, blood dripping from his nose as he shook his head. The frills extended once more, and he gave a screech before lunging in again.

Yongary meanwhile, had thrown himself just as much into the fight as his ally had. He had charged forward as the Paleosaurus did, but had stopped and pivoted at the last second. With momentum propelling the radioactive beast forward, it took the full force of the spiked tail that impaled its neck. The beast gave a horrendous cry of pain, reeling back as the wounds were exposed to the open air with the quick flick of the tail. As it did, Yongary lunged forward and grasped the towering neck. The grasping set something for the Paleosaurus to bite into, and the jaws of the irridated beast latched onto Yongary's neck. The guardian gave a screech in pain as it happened, slicing with his hands in an attempt to free himself.

Rey and the priest watched for a while, assisting in mentally sent tactics to be useful for their kaiju companions. It was when the fight with Yongary and the Behemoth came closer that Rey grabbed the shoulder of the new kaijin priest.

"It's best that we get out to a safer distance Father. We won't be doing much good being squashed underneath all of this conflict."

A sudden bout of intuition from years of training kicked in, and he pulled the Father closer to him. The elder man watched in surprise as a dart shaped thing stuck into the ground where he had been standing, and the form of a woman landed smack dab in front of him. The dart like piece left the ground and retracted back into her mouth. She turned and faced the two men, a devilish smile accompanied by completely white eyes. When she spoke, both could see the needle like teeth that composed that wicked smile.

"Well, here's the source of our problem. Two little kaijin, so far out of their league. You're too late to save this city, and we'll make sure that you and your friends taste death as well."

Anger boiled in Rey's blood, partially from the words of the devil in front of him, and part from the battle that he could feel from Kong himself. Giving a scowl reminiscent of the ape behind him, he took the bait that had been lain out in front of him with ease. It didn't need saying which of the beasts that she controlled, he was simply able to recognize it from watching what Kong could see.

"You're going down with that ugly bastard of a lizard of yours, and I'm going to enjoy every step of the way in beating your ass."

"That may be something that you may need to look at again. She isn't alone in this endeavor," came a voice that echoed over the cacophony of the fighting kaiju. Glancing towards it, Rey caught a sight of a sickly looking man walking towards them, his upper body exposed to the world in its sickly demeanor. On the pale skin that dawned the body, tattoos adorned his skin of beasts and monsters swarming burning cities. In the middle of the chest was the clear shape of a red clawed hand tearing into the world, the logo of Los Beastias de Muertes. An almost skeletal grin dawned his face, promising of things that would end with a world of hurt.

The smell of radiation penetrated his nose, a harsh chemical smell that he only had the briefest encounter with in the past. This, along with the fact that there were two powerful kaijin with only him as a real line of defense made a quick judgement in his mind. Turning back to the priest, he spoke briefly.

"Father, get out of here. I can fend them off for now, and you've just freshly bonded. I can buy you the time to-"  
A hand pressed gently into his back, signaling that he should stop talking. Taking a step to be beside the ex-soldier, he spoke with the calm and readiness that one would not expect of a person that had lost nearly everything in the past few hours.

"Son, do not worry. Just because I am a Father for the Lord now does not mean that Alex Ramirez, once the heavyweight champion of the world, ever stopped being a boxer. And I do not ever run from a fight."

With a simple flick, Father Alex discarded his large black robes. Beneath, he wore a simple black workout shirt that outlined the massive set of biceps and six pack that had been hidden beneath, and a pair of workout shorts. It was an outfit that would be more home in a cage fight than in a church, and the last thing that Rey had guessed.

Quickly fishing into his pocket, Alex pulled out a pair of worn brass knuckles and stuck them on his hands. Grasping them tightly, he took a fighting stance next to the one that had thrown himself in with little consideration of his own life to help. For someone close to the age of 60, he was well built for his age. Staring down the tattooed man, he spoke with a free conscious and a ready mind.

"You have traversed the last street tonight. Here, we will stop you by the grace of God and the power of our beasts. Another life shall not end by your hand again, and you shall perish here."

A low chuckle left the tattooed one, with a cackle coming from the demonic looking one. Pierre finished, staring down the elder with a fire in his eyes that promised a world of hurt and death if he could win.

"Give it your best shot old man. Nothing will stop the death that we spread. Only those strong enough to be with us will be able to survive, ushering a new age of destruction and chaos. Whether it's us, or the next few, or a thousand of us later, everyone will-"

He was quickly silenced with a right hook to the face, brass crashing and cracking into bone. Pierre stumbled back, only to receive another well placed hit in the form of an uppercut, crashing into his stomach region. Alex continued with the punches, rolling them in nice and quick.

Rey and Chavez however, simply went at it. The white eyed woman slashed repeatedly at Rey with her hand, the last blow leaving a claw mark down the front of his exposed shirt. While it didn't touch his precious jacket, it was too close to it. Anger took over Rey, who dodged the next swipe of claws and countered with a right hook to her face. The two soon began to grapple, grasping limbs and pushing forward as much as they could.

Pierre had stopped the beatdown with a series of haymakers, most of which were blocked. The two fighters circled each other, occasionally coming together to throw a flurry of punches and kicks that left both with some marks. Pierre had taken more of the damage, with a bloody nose, brusies dotting here and there on his body. The beating that he had received had not dimmed his spirit, and he taunted Alex after landing a few good hits to his torso.

"Are you feeling the hopelessness old man? The weight of the truth that we bring, that all you know is a lie and shall burn around you in the new world."

All this did was elicit a laugh from Alex, who stared him down with a resilience and hope that infuriated Pierre. When he spoke, he spoke with strength and clarity of a man that knew that everything would be alright.

"With the might of God and Yongary behind me, your reign of terror and death will be brought to a swift and righteous end."

The kaiju had continued to fight, clashing with near reckless abandon, crushing buildings and vehicles beneath their feet without a single thought. Kong charged forward at Zedus, throwing a shoulder into the lizard. Taking the blow, it clawed into the exposed back and shoulders of the gigantic ape. Kong gave a howl in pain, and grabbed its head. While Zedus squirmed and kicked, the ape shoved the reptile's head through a few buildings, stunning it for a bit. Letting go of the lizard, Kong pounded his chest and gave a roar in victory.

The cry did not go unheard however. A screech emanated from the heavens, making the Skull Islander crane his neck skywards. From the heavens that were bathed in smoke, a shadowy form could be seen circling around high above. Kong's eyes narrowed, preparing for what would come from the heavens down to greet him. With a crash of lightening, the flyer swooped down towards it. The Gyaos and its flier were acting as one, aiming to do a flyby and slaughter it while it was on the ground. As they approached, they watched with a mute horror as the lightening that had graced their appearance crashed into the giant ape. Instead of knocking it over however, the natural energy crackled over the beast's arms and torso.

Kong leaped up towards the flying beast that had been headed straight towards him, hands extended. One grabbed the arrow head of the Gyaos, while the other went and grabbed the left wing at its base. Once both had a grasp,  
Kong began to pump thousands upon thousands of volts into the Gyaos as they fell the short distance to Earth.  
The perfected mutant bird screeched in pain along with the kaijin as the electricity flowed through them, and their landing on impact. The sound of splintering bone could be heard throughout the battlefield as the wing snapped in three different places under the weight of its body and of Kong. Once back on the ground, Kong held firm onto the intact wing. Putting a foot on the struggling kaiju's head, Kong grasped the wings with both hands and pulled.  
It only took a small part of his strength to tear out the wing from the socket it had been attacked to, but it caused a monumental pain to the struggling creature and the now unconscious kaijin strapped down to it. A precise stomp crushed the beast's head, snapping most of the bones in it and popping the eye out of the now shattered socket. Wiping his foot off in the dust, the giant ape left the dying Gyaos to see how his ally was doing.

A quick glance saw that Yongary was trapped in a close combat lock with the Paleosaurus, and intervening at a close distance would not provide much in the form of help and leave his ally up and walking. Glancing around, an idea formed at the sight of the slowly awakening Zedus. He turned his back to the dueling dinosaurs and bounded towards the old foe. It had been said once in a locked room that Kong was a thinking animal, but he was also a strategist when compared to other kaiju.

When Zedus regained consciousness, all it could feel was a set of hands on its tail at first. The feeling of being lifted upwards and rotating in a circle made the saurian open its eyes to find the world moving in a circle. Zedus was only able to give a panicked screech as she soared through the air and crashed into the Paleosaurus. The latter released the vice grip of its jaws from Yongary as they sailed into the Mexico Cathedral, sending it into rubble. Not wasting a moment, the Terror from the Deep let out a stream of flame that enveloped the two beasts.

As their kaiju screamed in pain, Chavez and Pierre had gotten into sticky situations themselves. They had been cornered by Alex and Rey, and were fighting a slippery slope. Blood dripped from both of them, from their noses and mouths from damages done inside and outside their bodies. Seeing that the situation was soon to be let out of their hands, Pierre fished in his pocket and pulled out a small charge device. Locking eyes with the priest, he spoke a single sentence before pressing the trigger.

"If we can't have Mexico City, then no one can."

Deep below their feet, one could feel the vibrations of detonations in the ground. Silence graced the battlefield for a second, before the muffled sounds of thousands of feet swarming upwards could be heard. A weird clicking noise could be heard from the massive crater that Yongary had pulled himself out of that caught the attention of Alex and Rey. As they turned towards it, a Gyaos descended from the sky, quietly picking up the two and taking off with a single flap of its leathery wings.

From within the hole the first of many emerged out. Long mandibles jutted out, followed by a long segmented body. Giant antenna dawned the top of it head, lens eyes simply being terrifying as they were. Rey knew from his studies under the American Military Kaiju Response training the familiar form of Them as they were known. Gigantic Ant swarms, they were common inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert birthed from nuclear testing. They were fairly rare these days in America, but were thought to be inhabitants of the MesoAmerican Lawless kaiju zone. The fact that they had some sort of control over them sent a chill through Rey, and he knew what he had to do.

"Kong!" he cried out, looking towards the direction of where his friend had gone. Luckily he had already been making his way over, and swept both men up from where they stood. Holding them firmly but not tightly in his hands, the gigantic ape called out to Yongary to leave. With the urging from Father Alex, Yongary let off the fires and quickly followed his friends out.

When the fires stopped, Zedus was quickly off of the Paleosaurus and charging in the direction that the Gyaos had gone. He knew very well what the ants could do, and while small amounts were tasty, the horde that was coming was not something he was going to stick around for. He left a clear cut trail for the other to follow if need be.

Not soon after, more of the gigantic ants emerged from the hole, spreading out from the hole and charging into the city. As they approached the Paleosaurus, they would veer around him. Instinct in the ant's small brains knew that while radiation was home, it was also dangerous. This allowed for the Giant Behemoth to rise unceremoniously from the rubble, and slowly followed after Zedus. It didn't flinch at the sounds of the nearly dead Gyaos being torn to shreds, looking towards it in time to see one of the more successful ones scuttle from the head with an eye before continuing to wade through the swarm that had covered Mexico City in a cloud of death.


	11. You're not alone James

The first thing that James realized when he came to was the familiar taste of old monster saliva in his mouth. He had always hated the taste, a mixture of charcoal and thick paste that stuck around for days. It was always a reminder of the failure to contain the monster that dwelled inside him, and the inevitable damage that he had done. Pain was the second thing to kick in, parts aching as if he had just been in a game of professional football. His neck, chest, and back throbbed, and he let out a groan from the pain. The sounds of someone moving could be heard, and a door creaked open. One of the most beautiful voices he had ever heard called out to someone outside.

"Aye Leslie! The broken radiator's wakin up! Get your culo lenta up here!"

Cracking his eyelids open, they graced the sight of a generic pillow and a small wooden dresser. Extending a hand to rub his eyes, he winced as the arm lifted. He chose to sit up instead, and figure out where he had ended up. If it was another crazy lady's house again, he was just going to let loose and burn the house down this time. He was not going to be chained to the bed for weeks again by some crazy psychopathic woman who thought he was her dead son whose corpse she had kept locked in the basement.

The sight of a generic hotel room greeted him, with the prints of paintings that no one gave a second thought  
about to the view of the motel sign flickering in the evening sky. Blinking groggily, James was able to give a single mumble as he tried to realign what he had of vision.

"T'skreeonk am I?"

Eventually, his eyes fell to the doorway. The two that sat in it almost took his breath away. One was taller, with a black bob cut that outlined the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Piercing blue eyes shot an uninterested glance at him, inspecting him as he ogled at them. He quickly noticed the gloved hand and black nails on the door, and the black jacket and jean combo.

The other was a bit shorter than the first, looking like she had just stepped out of the pool. Her short curly hair stuck around her neck and shoulders, deep green eyes and a friendly smile gracing her face. Her outfit was a simple T-shirt and shorts, and a towel slung over her shoulder. It didn't take much to figure that she must've gotten out of a pool of some sort. She spoke out, her voice holding wariness but some warmth.

"Welcome back to the land of the living."

A few different things flashed through his mind, from the fact that there was no shirt on him, he was with two unknown women staring at him, and that heat was building up in areas that had some really poor timing. But a quick glance at a mirror and the terrifying by familiar beast looking back made him know quickly what he wanted to say.

"Where's the totem? Keeps him controlled."

The taller one dug into her pocket, pulling out the demonic looking carving quickly. A simple toss sent it spiraling towards him, landing right side up next to his left hand. He quickly grasped it, daring a glance to the mirror ahead of him. He relaxed as the sight of his own bruised and messy body instead of Vakishim. Looking back to the women that had now entered the room, he gave a half smile, wincing a bit from the pain. If there was a better time to start asking questions, James didn't know it.

"If ya don't mind me askin," James said with a bit of weak humor in his voice, "who are you two, and where the hell am I?"

"The Broadway Inn in Eugene, Oregon, a ways off of I5," said the one that had captivated him, "Cheapest motel with a seasonal pool for this idiota."

"Hey," the shorter one protested with a quick cross of her arms. "It's been months since I got a chance to swim, and I wasn't gonna waste it. Anywho, I'm Leslie and Ms. GrumpyPants over there lurking is Kelly."  
The glare that shot over from the corner of the room would pierce the heart of any weaker person and turn their heart into rubble. Leslie however, was completely immune to the effects of it. She had suffered the gaze before, and it was about as effective as a puppy pouting.

"Don't mind her. She's just mad that she had to go through the whole film of Tremors 5 last night still."

At the mention of the film, Kelly went into a fit of swear words and explanations of how the film was so terrible that bastard dog children with fleas could've made a better film. This was all in Spanish however, and it went over the heads of both of those watching. Leslie scooted closer, leaning in to whisper to him.  
"Can ya tell that she was a fan? She's a bit flustered with it all still. Give her a few days to calm down, and she'll be right as rain."

"Speaking of days," James inquirued, "How long have I been out?"

"A full day and a half," was the casual response from Leslie, "Around that since I pulled you out of the crater that the Big G put your bigger form in. Bit odd of a kaiju you got there man."

"Yapool," was the quick response that came from Kelly. "The choju he controls is one of Yapool's."  
James balked a little at the surprising amount of knowledge that Kelly had on who really ran the beast that lived in his head. His eyes met the sharp blue ones, silently passing a message that wasn't one that couldn't be conveyed by words. She broke it off, quickly addressing her situation as she saw fit.

"He's fine. Struggling to control it, but he's fine. Not one of them bastards like the others."

Taking a glance at James's poor confused face, Leslie piped in to help ease the confusion. "She's been familiar with Yapool's schemes in the past, and tends to stop them. But hey, that's what you get with a traveling kaijin with nothing better to do. A vengeance thing after her normal life was taken away by U-Killersaurus"

"You're both kaijin?" was the response of James. He looked back and forth between the two, being a bit surprised. He hadn't actually met another kaijin in his time around on the road, and the fact that he had wound up with two out of the blue was a bit surprising.

"Yeah, we both do. Although I must say, mine's not as bizarre as Kelly's. Godzilla's mine, the one from the San Francisco incident a ways back. Hers is a giant dinosaur that can shoot blood out of its face that she calls Nerogiras. We're gonna meet up with a friend who was in the neighborhood who's also one."

"H-how many kaijin are there like you?" was the stuttered out reply from James, who had begun to question everything he had really thought about being a kaijin. He had been for most of his life with the idea that kaijin were extremely rare, often isolated and kept away from each other. The fact that there were two currently sitting in front of him, with a third coming, was baffling. The answer came from Kelly, who had chosen to lean against one of the dressers that sat across from the bed.

"Plenty. Lots of us either stay on the move, never staying in one spot or another to avoid the issues of a giant monster showing up and creating issues. Some go to remote places, preferring the isolation of the wilds to the confines that they would get with normal people. A lucky few get to be heroes to humanity, cherished in their bonds and the like. All sorts of walks in life occur, and there is no real set rule for being a kaijin."

Casually reaching into a drawer, a hand fished out a gray t-shirt. She chucked it over to him, taking a glance towards Leslie.

"We'll let you get ready, as it's nearly time to go meet our friend. You have about 15 minutes til we leave you here on your own, without a way to get anywhere."

Shooting a look at Leslie, she left the room, vanishing from view past the window. Leslie gave James a smile, speaking briefly before following suit.

"There's some clothes for you in the drawers, and a pair of shoes in the closet. See ya out at the car."

Left alone in the room, James quietly processed what had just happened before standing up. Fumbling with the shirt, he gently put it on over his bruised body. It took a little while for him to stand up, but once the tingling in his legs ended he made his way to the drawer, finding a couple of changes of clothes next to a gym bag. He grabbed one of the pairs of socks, and proceeded to stuff it quickly.

The next place he checked was the closet, finding a pair of sneakers that were just a half size too big for him. Throwing them on to the bed, he shuffled to the bathroom, quick to splash water on to his face from the sink and tidy up his appearance. Looking into the mirror, he could see only his face for one of the first times in ages. He gave a sigh of relief, and left the bathroom. Vakishim was still gone, and as far as James cared he could stay that way. Quickly putting the socks and sneakers on, he stepped out of the door and closed it behind him.

He found Kelly leaning against the wall outside, remaining almost perfectly still with a small shake in her left hand. She didn't make eye contact with him, speaking out to the air around her as if there was a whole audience in front of her rather than just him.

"Habits are really skreeonking hard to kick sometimes, y'know? Like, the need still hits even after all these months, sitting as a temptation that can cripple you where you stand."

She gave a hand wave, her pointer finger and middle finger pinched together as if they were holding a cigarette. Turning her head, Kelly looked towards James with a small smile.

"Leslie thought that you wouldn't know which of the cars was mine, and it was better for me to show you my baby than that idiota who couldn't tell a ball and socket wrench from a hammer."

She began to walk down the stairs, with James not too far behind her. They rounded the building to a small parking lot, nearly full with all sorts of vans, cars, and trucks. Rounding the corner of a particularly large Chevy Silverado, his eyes fell upon an old muscle car shining in the parking lot's lamplight. It seemed to be the ideal of a muscle car, large but sleek and meant for a time when gas was less than a dollar. He could see Leslie in shotgun, quietly lounging and giving a smile at the sight of the two. Kelly spoke first, giving detail into the vehicle in front of them.

"This, this is my baby. She's a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner, with a modified engine and a pristine body. Boosted her up from 355 horsepower to 450, and still brought her fuel mileage up to 25 miles to the gallon on the highway. You hurt my Elena, I hurt you, got it? Throw your stuff in the trunk, and I'll let you in the back."

James quickly gave a nod and made his way over to the trunk. Popping the lid, he set the duffle bag down in trunk next to the wall. Almost missing it, he did a double take at the sight of a large, double barreled shotgun strapped onto the side of the wall next to his bag. Swallowing very vocally, he quickly clambered into the backseat and strapped himself in. Looking back with a concerned countenance on her face, Leslie gave a frown to Kelly as she sat down and shut the door inside.

"What did you do to him? He's scared witless."

All that Kelly did in return was give a smile, not even looking back as she adjusted the mirrors and slid her seatbelt on. Turning the thunderous engine on, she spoke calmly tinged with a tone of humor in it as well.

"I just left the insurance option uncovered. Just to let him know that we can mean business."

Kelly only laughed as Leslie slugged her in the arm for the comment, James slowly relaxing from the tension trapped inside from his chest from the potential crazies that had taken him captive. The Plymouth reversed out of the parking spot, slowly making its way to the road before hopping on into the sea of cars swarming the roadways.  
James could only see a little out of the small window to the road, his attention partly being diverted by the old time Spanish song that drifted out from the radio in front. The quiet humming from Kelly along with the song was a pleasant change to the monotonous sounds of the road. Staring out of the window, he spoke nonchalantly on what he saw.

"There's a lot of cars on the road. Is that normal?"

"Dunno," was the response he got from Kelly, "We're fairly far south from Portland, which is where your little accident. Lotta license plates are reading California for some reasons. Maybe the radio will have why."  
Her hand flicked towards the station, reaching for the radio and flipping the dials. It soon reached 102.9, in the midst of a news bulletin. All three focused in on what it was saying, with Kelly looking outwards to keep the car in movement.

" _-and that is it for local Eugene news. In more national aspects, Oregen herself is in the midst of a crisis. Portland, our largest city, has suffered its first kaiju attack, leaving much of the city in shambles. The reptilian kaiju that has been dubbed by the public as Godzilla retaliated against an invading beast that is being called Vakishim by officials. As if that wasn't enough, the infamous Las Beastias de la Muertes successfully conquered Mexico City, and forces underneath this new terrorist kaijin order have been seen amassing in Baja California by military drone activity and satellite viewing. This goes in hand with the silence that had come from the area for some weeks now, and the fate of the people is unknown. While this may be simple amassing, people all across California are headed for the hills, preferring to play it safe rather than-"_

The sound was suddenly cut off as Kelly turned the radio off. Ignoring the protests from Kelly and James, she pointed to the view out from the windshield.

"We're here."

Outside sat a triangular roofed building, longer than it was wider. On the broad side of the roof nearest to them sat the words of _Baragon Burgers_. In the front of the doors and just before the parking lot sat a concrete statue of the kaiju known as Baragon glowering over the cars. A sign sat below, saying Welcome, even if the statue didn't say it so much.

While no one could claim the copyright of a monster due to the whole Toho lawsuit debacle back in 62, one could claim rights with their names in them. Often called one of the worst profits on natural disasters, Baragon Burgers was an entire kaiju themed restaurant, with the potentially cute monster as their logo. Even though the actual beast was known to be a man eater, he had his own series and everything with this one restaurant chain. James had visited the chain little, in case of the monster that dwelled within his head came active. From what he could sense, that wasn't much of an issue currently.

He waited patiently as the two girls got out, Leslie letting him out of the car. He stood up, stretching and letting his back pop and snap into place. The trio soon entered the restaurant, standing in a lobby area near the ordering counter at the top. It faced inwards, looking down a series of flat levels that looked like a giant staircase down to the bottom. Tables lined the levels, with enough room to walk around them and for people to sit. At the bottom, a fountain was bubbling, depicting a battle between Baragon, Manda, and Rodan.

From one of the tables, a girl with short black hair and brown eyes looked up at them and gave a big smile. She ran forward at Kelly, who was laughing with joy, crashing into her arms and becoming part of a giant bear hug from the mechanic. The two embraced for a while, releasing their hold at a tap on Kelly's shoulder and a whisper into her ear.  
Once let go of, she panted a little and quickly bounced to Leslie, glomping on to her leg in a little hug. As Leslie wrapped a friendly arm around the kid. James couldn't help but notice how different the small girl dressed in pink was to Leslie clad in more earth colored tones. Kelly looked up at James, suddenly remembering that he was there. Once Leslie and the girl stopped hugging, Kelly stepped forward and began the process of introductions.

"Mia, this is our friend James. He's a kaijin like us. James, this is my Mia. You even dare think about hurting her, I make sure that your problem is over permanently."

The two shook hands, an air of awkwardness growing between the two new people. This would only grow as Kelly continued to commandeer the conversation once more, grabbing Leslie by the scruff of her hair.

"Why don't you two get to know each other? Leslie and I will go grab food. We'll cover for you James."

And with that, the two left to go stand in the line that had formed while they had talked. Mia and James stood there, silently staring at each other for a while. Mia was the first, breaking the silence between the two with a quiet but calm voice.

"So. What's your opinion on anime? Like it, don't like it?"

"Well," James said shakily, scratching the back of his head with his left hand, "I've only ever seen one, and it's fairly new. Have you heard of Dark Times at Hellview High?"

"HAVE I? OF COURSE I HAVE!" was the excited response from Mia, who began to bounce up and down excitedly. "It's one of my FAVORITES! I just can't get enough! I know they only have about four or so episodes, but I love all of it. The animation is great, the plot's done so well, and it leaves you wanting for more. Who's your favorite character?"

"I like Casey," was James's response, a smile on his face. He was glad that he had something more than just a kaiju to bond over this girl with. A simple show wasn't much, but it was more than enough to consider to be a friend in his book.

"Not a bad choice. I like Ciara more, as she's sooo cool! I hope I can be like her when I get older," was her response, spinning a little bit as she spoke from the sudden bound of energy. Before they could continue, Kelly and Leslie appeared with a tray with food. They went and found a seat in the corner, at an angle where Rodan seemed to be staring down towards James and intently judging him. Giving a little shudder, James took his seat and went for his food.

Leslie pushed what had been ordered for him towards him, a wrapped sandwich and a small thing of fries. Gently unwrapping it, he saw it was a burger, fairly standard with a special sauce layered on beneath it. Giving a small shrug, he lifted it up and took a bite. The sauce seemed to be somewhere in between barbecue sauce and A1, matching well with the burger overall. It only took three more bites before he had devoured the entire thing to the slight astonishment of the people surrounding him.

"You were only a little hungry, weren't ya?" Leslie taunted, shoving an elbow playfully at James. Mia gave a small chuckle at the comment, which made a small smile crack from Kelly. Acting more hurt than he was, he quickly retorted back to her, prepared to defend his "honor".

"What can I say, transformations give me a monstrous appetite."

He got a slug in the arm for that from Kelly, getting laughs from the other two. The jovial air lasted for only a little while longer, until Mia suddenly gave a look of remembrance, and reached into her backpack. She fished out an old, worn notebook, flipping through it til she found a page. She flopped it down on the table, with scribbled notes being visible to all.

"Me and Toto were listening to the radio when this came on. It's too late to meet with the group in Hawaii, but they're looking for kaijin with good control over their kaiju to help out. Seeing as I'm trying to make Toto a good guy, I'm going."

Kelly locked eyes with the girl, words just waiting to go at the tip of her tongue. They both stared intently, neither one of them breaking the gaze that they had with each other and speaking through sight rather than words. When she did speak, it was not the answer that either Leslie or James had expected.

"Fine. You're taking Leslie and James with you though. I'd go, but my track record isn't the best with the American Government. They'll help you as needed, won't they?" she questioned as she looked towards the two with a glance that could kill. Both nodded, Leslie out of concern for her friend and James from the fear of what would happen if he didn't answer.

"Good. Leslie should make it easier for proceedings. Where are you supposed to meet?"

Mia stared intently at her, before giving a fairly casual response.

"San Francisco, before moving down South together as a team."


	12. St Louis Smackdown

Once one of the greatest hubs in the Midwest, the "Gateway to the West" was now mostly silent. Trails had been carved out near the city's edges headed inwards, the broken carcasses of highways, buildings, and military defense lain scattered around and deader than a doornail. While most of the city had since evacuated and military plans had yet been put into place, she was not all that dead. A lone person walked along down the middle of the street, walking over cars as needed. Face obscured by a black hood with red lines running down the sides, he moved nonchalantly though the empty and silent streets that had been full of panicking lives just a mere day before.

Loud clicking sounds could be heard from up ahead, and the form of the female Muto came crashing through one of the side streets. It was a massive thing, towering over many of the smaller structures that made up the city. Only a few of the tallest buildings were able to shadow it as it slowly marched forward. Turning around, it marched forward towards the human, stopping just short of it. Cars flew back at each step, and it left craters with each press into the asphalt, sending wide radiuses of cracks through the pavement. The massive head lowered downwards, locking its eyes onto the small being that stood without fear in front of it. It's hot breath echoed down towards it, reeking of metal and the harsh scent that usually accompanied radiation. The massive leg muscles twitched here and there, keeping the massive beast upright.

Giving a long trill, the kaiju's large head nudged the child, as if it was concerned for it. The boy gave a small chuckle at the move, rubbing a hand on the creature's snout. It was nice to see something, no someone that actually acted like a real mother in Malcom's life. She knew when to go check up on him for a bit, would let him go in and see the hatchlings, and make sure that he was alright. She wasn't like the other one, who had always kept a wary eye on him, trying to change him here or there to be more how _she_ wanted him to be. Here, he could be who he wanted.

"Thanks for checking in on me. I'm doin just fine. I'll go and grab some food real quick, and meet you back at the nest mom."

This earned a comforting trill from the female MUTO, giving the boy a small nuzzle in comforting before turning around and beginning to return where it had come from. Malcom watched as she retreated, a smile on his face. Most would normally be fearful in that sort of situation of proximity, even the most steeled of kaijin with their own kaiju. He had little to fear from them however, as the duo were more of family to him than any other human being had ever really been on the planet.

With the female MUTO farther off from where he stood, he chose to go in to the nearest abandoned storefront.  
Climbing over one of the smashed windows, he treaded carefully on the broken glass into the darkness of the shop. It was a small thing, not much larger than a gas station convenience store in size. Scouring through the building's debris, his foot kicked into a box. While it hurt a little, curiosity picked up more over the pain.  
He reached down, and pulled up the fairly large box into the light for better viewing. Amidst the Japanese kanji, Malcom could make out the words of S.H MonsterArts Legion on top of it. He had seen similar boxes before from an old "friend" back in Seattle that had been obsessive about the things. Like the old hobbies of ship making and model airplane making, kaiju were sought after the same way. The kid had always been so adamant about it, clamoring about these fools on one website he went on and how bad they were in their taste. He was never all that close to him, as the kid was kind of a prick about it.

Setting the box back on the shelf, he continued his trek into the store. Luck was on his side this time, finding a set of granola bars and some water bottles in good condition. Slicing the boxes open with a found knife, he quickly shoved the goods into his backpack and made his way back out the front of the store. With the sun blocked by dark weather clouds, he made his way towards the nest. It would only take him about an hour or so to reach it.

The nest itself had been located beneath the St. Louis Arch, the iconic structure covered in large gash marks from where the female had grasped it. It leaned precariously in its place, with it only needing a strong push before it fell into the gaping hole beneath them. The female was checking in on the nest, a bit smaller than the one that had been made back in 2014. The ones that had made that nest were a bit larger due to food resources, and each reflected the other in size due to it. Malcom had also insured that the nuclear explosion would not be reoccur, tearing apart the nuclear bomb and extracting the desired contents for the nest and his soon to be brothers and sisters.

As he continued on the march towards the nest, Malcom couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He could almost feel eyes boring into the back of his skull, filling him with feelings of regret and suspense. He turned around quickly, to see if there was anyone watching him. All that greeted his sights however, was overturned cars and silence. It didn't relent however, continuing to nag him as he picked up speed and ran into the park.

Walking up to the entrance of the St. Louis Zoo, he could tell fairly quickly that something was off. The normal sounds of the animals that had been left in the zoo that hadn't fled out to the wilds of Missouri were silent, never a good sign. Muscles tensed and small sparks of electricity crackled at his hands. Looking outwards to the empty area, he called out to whoever had been staring him down.

"Alright, come on out. No need to play these silly games here. You want a fight, you can come get it."

His call was answered by a series of taps that approached from within the zoo itself. It was all that greeted him for a while, until the source turned the corner and stood in the entryway of the zoo. The man was broad in the sense of the term, wide set shoulders and a decent girth to boot. He was dressed almost formally, with a dark blue vest and a set of black trousers to boot. Malcom almost couldn't put it from his head as if the man was dressed like he was from a funeral. The other arm held a resplendent Peacock on it, perched gracefully on him like he was a tree rather than a person. The new arrival's gaze was totally on the bird, admiring it for the beauty it held on its form. He spoke with a heavy accent, and as if he hadn't spoken to a living soul in ages.

"Dere's no need t' shout now. I'm right here, ain't no need. Beautiful thing ain't it? I'd only evah seen one in a book before, and he don' mind ol' G a ting at all. Ain't it grand?"

The stranger let go of the cane, gently caressing the top of the bird's head. Malcom's eyes widened as the cane stood stock still in place, as if simply waiting for the owner to return to it. "G" quietly set the bird down, letting the emerald hued animal return to the depths of the zoo. Watching it go off, G looked back and made eye contact for the first time, chilling Malcom's blood. One eye was of a dark aqua color flecked with black, while the other was nothing but a white sphere. With the tangles of black and silver hair drooping over his forehead, G gave a smile of pointed teeth and spoke directly towards him.

"With de bird gone, now we can git to business."

"Who the hell are you? What do you even skreeonking want? Haven't you seen the kaiju roaming around man?" Malcom said in an angry/scared tone. Perhaps he would be able to pull off a lone survivor in the city to this new guy. When he replied, Malcom couldn't help but prepare for the inevitable by taking a more solid fighting stance.

"We both know that ain't gonna work wit me. I know who you are Malcom. I know your bond with de beasts, and deir plans. There were plenty o' dead left after the giant clicker bugs first came, and there are the ones who want their land left bug free. And wen de dead come a knockin, G come and fix it. Whether it be me, or the Big G."

At the end of the sentence, a gigantic fireball detonated within hearing distance. Malcom whipped his head around in time to see the gigantic mushroom cloud billow up from where the remnants of the Arch stood still. What had been the nest of hundreds of hatchlings was now gone, burning chars of what they once were and could have been. When the sight of the perpetrator came into view, he froze in fear. White, bony plates stuck out into the air, cooling down from the surge of radiation that had overtaken them just moments before. Taloned hands flexed as the kaiju's head reared back and let out a too familiar roar that shook the buildings. White eyes stared out as the demonic form of Godzilla took in his new sights. It had been years since it had been freed from the prisons of hell, and sought sight to dominate the world once more.

Malcom's fear soon turned into rage, whipping around to face the killer of his considered siblings. Letting out a shriek of rage, electricity began to course up and down his arms. Without even thinking, he charged forward with clenched fists, catching the Cajun off guard. G was sent back with a strong left hook to the face. Malcom ran up to the recovering foe, and proceeded to swing into his gut repeatedly. Each hit sent ripples through the man's body, causing pain that would cause weaker men to tremble and fall. There would be no mercy for those that would hurt his family.

With the kaiju, the fight was going similarly. The FeMuto had seen the explosion, and had barreled towards the source of it, being the white eyed Godzilla. While most creatures would flee at the sight of such a supernatural creature, there was little more powerful than a mother with nothing to lose. She charged into it like a freight train, sending him careening downwards. Before it did however, two long claws wrapped around it, their dagger sharp tips stabbing into the beast's hide with gravity's help. A cry left Godzilla's jaws, starting in pain before turning to anger.  
It struggled in the grasp of the prehistoric monster, thrashing as the smallest arms began to stab here and there, trying to end the life of the beast that had killed its children. This being's rotten carcass would do well to go and feed the next batch, creating an entirely new group of MUTO's based upon the attacker. With its blood, a new group would pump the MUTO's back into a living population.

The idea was cut short as a massive foot kicked out one of the female MUTO's legs. Giving a cry, she crashed down upon the earth, dragging the claws a long ways down the sides of the ghost. Plumes of dust arose around each fallen attacker as they struggled to get back on their feet before the other could do more damage. This small window of opportunity would allow for the one up first to have a clear advantage to the battle, and could even decide the entire fight.

From the dust cloud that had formed, the sight of ivory colored plates could be seen rising with a charcoal colored body. The head peered out from the cloud, and the beast gave a roar that shattered nearby windows from the buildings. It would've echoed out for longer if the zooming form of a second kaiju crashing into his head and dragging him away. The Femuto was soon up and after the dragging form of Godzilla and the Hokmuto.

Back at the zoo, the fight wasn't going as well for Malcom. He had to admit, this guy was fairly relentless. G was a powerhouse, with each fist thrown holding a lot of power behind it. The upside was that he was slow, and Mal could go and place a set of three blows before being hit and skidding back towards a wall or being stunned. It had been back and forth for awhile, and Mal was looking the worse for wear. Bruises were forming where the hits from G had landed, and a small trickle of dried blood had formed coming from the left nostril.

G however, looked like he didn't even have a scratch. There were tears in his clothes, and the smell of ozone clung to him, but he had so far taken little physical damage. As Malcom pulled himself up from a particularly good uppercut, G began to laugh at him. It was not one that one would light up a room, but one that pulled up images of cackling skeletons and moaning ghosts. The dual colored eyes focused on the slowly rising kid, unnerving Malcom more than he already was.

"Well, ain't you just a lil scrapper. Almost like a dog, never given up til dere ain't much left to give. It's almost sickenin de amount o' luv y' show dese clickers. Makes me almost 'member me own family. Dat was until pa unloaded his shotgun inta ma and then his own head."

This brought up a fit of laughter, which only seemed to piss Malcom off more. The loose fists tightened, with visible electricity arching up and down his arms. Gritting his teeth, electricity shot up and down his arms. He locked eyes with G, and nearly spat out the next sentence.

"What would you know of family?"

Unable to hold his rage any longer, Malcom gave a roar as he punched out from where he stood. Bolts of electricity shot out from his arms, slamming into G with a full frontal blast. He stumbled back and fell to a knee as electricity shot through him. Malcom continued on, not giving the monstrous kaijin any room to try and get up.

On the battlefield, things were going similarly. Godzilla had been trapped between the two MUTOs, who were pounding into them relentlessly. The male had let go of the beast's head to trade with the female, who had one hook wrapped around it's snout to keep it shut. The others were slamming into it, occasionally creating a cut here and there. The Hokmuto was circling around, occasionally coming in and slamming himself into its other side before returning to the circling.

Godzilla gave a grunt, the last sign they would receive before the end. It watched carefully as the Hokmuto circled around again, waiting for just the right time. With the right moment, the beast's tail swung out and collided against the Hokmuto. Giving a shriek of surprise, it quickly fell from the sky and landed back down on the ground with a crash. As the Femuto cried out to her mate, Godzilla shoved itself into her, having her pull off of the beast.  
As Godzilla's spines began to glow blue, a similar energy built up behind G's back. He spoke a sentence, simple, brief, and terrifying to the heavily beaten kaijin.

"I guess it's time to end this once and for all."

Right on cue, both unleashed a lethal beam of radioactive energy, careening towards their targets. Malcom barely dodged the atomic fire that crashed into the ground next to where he had stood, keeping mobile as G swung his head around to follow him. The Femuto had not been as lucky. Having been shoved to the ground first, the beam crashed into her like a full freight train. She gave a shriek as she tried to resist the blast, able to do so for a short while. She eventually succumbed, being torn in two before consumed by the explosion that had been created from it.

Malcom gave a hellish scream at the death of one of the ones closest to him, feeling his mind fray at the torn piece from him dissolve. Electricity blasted out from where he stood, careening into G and send him down to the ground in uncontrollable spasms. His cries were quickly answered with the appearance of the Hokmuto, grasping Malcom gently into one of his smaller arms. Screaming at G, the flying relic took to the air, headed back to where it knew safety. Using their mental link, the Muto began to console him, trying his best to focus on the only surviving child that remained rather than the loss he had just experienced.

Godzilla watched as the male fled from the scene, eyes squinting in hatred. A roar left his jaws, a promise of death to come where there would be no place to hide from. It glanced back towards the charred remains for a brief second, giving them a kick before looking towards where G had fallen. The kaijin stood up as soon as he could, looking towards the mass of swirling souls taken form.

"Well now, looks like we gots ourselves a clicker hunt. Best be chasin 'em now, shouldn't we?"


	13. The Organized Effort

In all of his time as an adventurer and a kaijin, Joel Mundy had never seen such a variety of people before. It was rare that an old explorer shared a room with a real princess, one of the more televised and yet secretive kaijin in the world, and an alien in the same exact room. All of the stops had been pulled to rally such a defense, which was a surprising number in itself. Rarely was one to be able to find a helpful kaijin that wouldn't be extremely paranoid, let alone the amount that occupied the room.

He sat in a chair in the back of the room, preferring to hang back and watch others than be one to go and be the most active in meeting others. Time had shown that he was better at being alone than going and making nice with others. Some were worth it, those that could understand what it was like or those that had helped him out. While plenty of the people in here would meet the standards, he was more than content to go and let them come to him if they pleased.

The sound of a slap could be heard briefly, and the sight of Dalton Briggs walking away rubbing his face brought a small smile to his face. From the pissed off attitude on who he could only assume to be the Okinawan princess Akami Azumi, he had tried once again to be the dashing rouge he thought he was in his mind, only to be given the direct reality of a slap. With the rubbing of his head as well, she must've hit him at least twice. He gave a small chuckle at his "colleagues" misfortune. He continued to look at the others, until a voice coughed behind him. He turned to see a young woman behind him, easily a quarter of his age. Blonde hair with darker highlights caught his attention, along with some more interesting style options such as forearm long fingerless gloves and a nose piercing that had two spikes come out from within the nostril.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Taking a seat before he could object, she brushed her hair back behind her ears and adjusted her beanie. Looking over at Mundy, the girl squinted a little as if trying to recollect where she had seen him before. Scratching the back of his neck, Mundy almost began to look elsewhere when she suddenly spoke again.

"Now I remember you! You're Joel Mundy, the explorer! Loved your work in Paupa New Guinea."

"That I am," he said sheepishly, giving a small chuckle. He stuck his hand out, in which the girl shook it tightly.

"And who may you be miss? I can't say that I recognize you like some other people in this room."

"In good reason. I'm no Carlos Valdez, number 23 of the Oakland Raiders and UFC Champion. Name's Alyssa, Alyssa Miller. Local from the islands, and bonded to the Rodan out in the containment area. "

This little factoid was impressive to Mundy. They had screenings for those that applied, in case one was a crazy wackjob or too inexperienced in control for handling their bond. The fact that someone had gone so far in so little time of connection to have passed it was worth the chance to know, even if she did go and bring up the New Guinea mess.

"Ah, thanks. That one was a bit of a mess, New Guinea. Not the best one that I went on."

But too late was Alyssa's attention stolen from him, and onto a new person that seemed much closer to her in age. He gave a sigh of relief beneath his breath, more content to see who was assembled in the room rather than talk to the pierced girl and her newly acquainted red jacket friend.

The small crowd was certainly a diverse one. He could see a small group by the small snack table. An elderly lady was in the midst of telling a story to the rest who were listening with avid interest. He could see the formerly mentioned athlete Valdez among them, along with the most bizarrely dressed man also looking interested from behind a pair of black sunglasses. At least he thought so. It was hard to tell if he was, or just so completely zoned out that it didn't matter.

Others were scattered around the room, with a few conversing here and there. The one that looked most like royalty to him, who he had assumed as the Okinawan princess Akami Azumi, was seated a few rows ahead of him conversing with someone who would've looked more home on the beaches here than in such a setting that he found himself in. Drifting his gaze towards the other wall, he locked his eyes with a demonic like mask. Taken back a bit, he was soon able to recognize the hero known as Destroyer. It was an ironic title at most, as she sought to destroy violence with her own means of beating criminals and her Destroyahs. She worked in unison with the military and the police, and had bene resourceful in a roundup when a rouge Zigra had left Monster Island by flying, and landed in NYC. While in a deep stare at her, he simply shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in the chair. If the superhero had some beef with him, she could come and talk to him like any other normal person.

The doors opened again, revealing the presence of Dr. Serizawa and two military men. Most people began to make their way to the seats soon after as they got situated with their seats. Mundy was able to recognize Major Hicks, having assisted him with some of the more dangerous missions that needed the presence of Gorosaurus. When he looked his way, Mundy tipped his hat in greeting. Hicks gave a nod, and focused his attention on the third person that had arrived with them. Joel couldn't recognize him, but he seemed to be well respected with the other two.

The lights dimmed, leaving the crowd in shaded twilight as Dr. Serizawa stepped up and began to speak.

"Hello, and welcome. I will try and leave the more trivial things out of my little presentation, as to better clarify what is important. Your presence here is most appreciated, as the world is in need of some help from her kaiju and her kaijin. As you may be aware, the world faces a threat not thought to ever have been possible, that of a kaiju army."

The slide behind him flicked from a simple intro slide to that of a satellite shot that looked as if it were from Google Earth. It depicted something that sent a chill down his spine however, and from what he could see he wasn't alone. There were at least twelve Gyaos in flight, along with some Kamacuras looking blurs just below them. The ground had its own horrors with the sight of a few reptilian ones, one with frills that reminded Joel of the Frilled lizards of his own homeland. Others were of gigantic insects and strange beasts that seemed to be nothing that he had encountered beforehand. More pictures came up, mainly of the devestation left for the entire world to see. Serizawa spoke after some time, letting it sink in of the severity of the situation before talking again.

"What we see here was the original invasion force of Mexico City. Several of these beasts died before reaching it, but with the combined might of their largest beasts, they made it into the city and began to wreak havoc. Another monster was resurrected in the heart of the city, and one of the American kaijin arrived with Kong and were able to send them back. They activated a nest of Gigantoformicia, making the city nearly impossible to retake the city until they die down some."

Taking a sigh, the doctor took off his glasses and pressed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. Putting his glasses back on and looking out to the small crowd, Joel could see that exhaustion was etched into his face. Who knew how long that he had spent trying to just find all of these people to help with such a grim issue? He listened carefully as he spoke again, trying to remain the vigilant and energetic researcher that he had once been.

"We think they've been using the tunnels made by the ants to travel, as they tend to be seen only just before their attacks begin. Prediction is nearly impossible at times, but we think we know where they may be. Every time they've come anywhere close to the border of the Lawless Zone, they've steered clear of it. This leaves little open for possibility in landing sites. While we can only assume they have an aquatic team of kaiju, the travel through the gulf would prove to be too treacherous for some of the more land dwelling of their beasts shown. The Sea of Cortez between Baja California and their known appearances there on that coast of Mexico have shown that they may have moved this way until a lucky piece of Intel came in. Here is where I leave it to Major Hicks. "

And with that, Dr. Serizawa made his way over to the seat, passing Hicks quickly taking the center stage. While he had only had the pleasure working with Hicks a handful of times, the man could certainly take command and attention of a crowd of people in the room. He stood in front of them, his voice much louder than that of the good doctor. While his position was firm, it was not the strict board stiff that one would expect.

"Alright then, this is where the gameplan comes in. They seem to have a forefront of land, sea, and aerial monsters available to them. This in short would make a more standard militaristic assault rendered into scrap metal and burning corpses. A small nuclear strike could be used, but with the amount of kaiju and America still in remembrance of the 2014 events alongside the potential disaster with radioactive fallout has been detrimental to using them. As in such, we plan on using you to go and counter each thing in three teams."

The major began to pace around the stage, perhaps in an effort to go and burn off the stress that had been gnawing away at the entire group. He of all people knew well of the severity of a planned kaiju attacks, having dealt with mutations and beasts that had come along the coast as a military man for decades at this point in time before joining with Monarch as an advisor. Even then, he was still quite a powerful man that demanded attention from all of those that were in the room.

Before he could continue on, the double doors near the stage slammed open. A young man, with short brown hair and a wild look in his grey eyes ran forward to the major. Reaching the man, he whispered into his ear for a brief second, before crouching to catch his breath once more. Not wasting time, the militaristic side kicked in and he began to give orders.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a K3 Class 3 event beginning to occur down at the waterfronts. I need three kaijin on the scene, with their big pals. Mundy, I want you specifically. Anyone else able to, let's go."

Joel was quickly up and out of his seat, things of this nature being more of habit than he thought he was comfortable with. Too many times had he been called to go and deal with situations like this before hand, and he had just rolled with it. Perhaps after all this was said and done, he would considered retiring from the government and world saving work. There would be plenty more to go and take his space, and some of the powerhouses that had been mentioned here were more than enough.

Honolulu International Airport, Main Building

The once busy people that had been swarming all over the building had been mass herded into a single large room, kept tight in by a monster that stalked the area and other places. Drug up from the depths of the Congo, few species were as terrifying as that of the Emela Ntouka. While not the largest animal of the rainforests, it was known by the villagers as an Elephant killer, able to wipe out whole herds. It patrolled around the group of cowing travelers, occasionally nudging one that was spreading a little farther out from the rest and making them shit their shorts.

Claws clicking on the linoleum from one of the more narrow passageways, another shape that made most of the people freeze emerged from within a darkend staff only hallway. Large insect pincers adorned the toothed maw of the beast, which seemed to have a mixture of cat and reptile to it. The Kothoga was a little more well known to mankind, having been really seen in the depths in a museum incident after having accidentally been brought over as well. While it carried no others with it, the sight of blood splattered over the maw and front limbs of the creature showed the terrified and trapped crowd that they were in some deep shit this time.

"Do not vorry. Zhey follow my every and exact orders," came the voice from the stage with cameras. He was a fairly tall man that grabbed the attention of the people who were cowed before him. While he seemed wiry, one could almost tell that he exuded a massive strength beneath the billowy lab coat that dawned his upper body. The full greyed mutton chops and lit up icy blue eyes were the iconic parts of Dr. Cornelius Von Braumn, ex-cryptozoologist turned madman. He paraded with an air of knowledge and smugness that covered the snapped mind beneath. A hand clicked a button on a remote in his pocket, with red lights flicking on at the cameras pointed at him and the crowd.

"They are impressive though, aren't they? One a relic from a time long since passed the surface of the planet, a beast unchanged through the ages. The other, a mutation from human standards, the beauty and potential of what a single protein can do to change the world. These two are guarding the trapped people, the cowards that go through their droll lives and do nothing but feed off the best and brightest of humanity."

The two cryptids rumbled and growled at the mention of them, sending a small flash of panic through the crowd. A baby began to cry, all being ignored by the egocentric man who was walking across the stage as if it was a TED talk to the world rather than a ransom demand.

"So, as one of zhe species brightest minds on ze planet, I thought to myself, why not use zee creatures to help take control of zhe world? But no one was impressed with something so small in a world of kaiju. As any good scientist vould do, I improvised and made my own. Bonding with my first creation, and using my controlling abilities, I have brought an array of beasts. They shall now begin their attack, beginning the new age zhat I shall usher in."

Outside, from the depths of the bay, dark shapes from beneath the water emerged. The first was a shape that was similar and yet strange. In basic form, it looked like a variety of Baragon, including the iconic ribbed back and face. But it seemed to lack the ears that most were familiar with, and adorned with a strange variety of natural weaponry. The once curved nasal horn was that of a Narwhal's, straight and razor sharp. Two long ivory tusks like that of a walrus sat on his face as well.

"The first iz Baraguma, the first of my self-spliced kaiju. Taking the best of the kaiju of Baragon and Maguma, I have created one of the strongest beasts that has existed in seas and on the earth. Being so…involved in zhe creature's upbringing, I require no remote controlling to command him. Baraguma iz mine and mine alone. But of course, one must always have a contingency, espechially in zhis day vun age. "

The second shot up from the depths of the sea, giving a vaguely elephant cry from beneath it's trunk. While a bipedal beast and covered in various forms of lumpy armor, the trunk, tusks, and cry seemed to echo that of an elephant. Grasping a small boat in his hands, it was quickly crushed into splinters and left to sink to the bottom as it quickly made itself to land.

"Zuruzla was another one of my more interesting results of splicing. I had an elephant zhat had followed my vundebar explorhation crew. It survived zhe recovery of my Emela Ntouka, and had inadvertently saved my life in zhe process. So, in favor or returning what had been owed, I changed it to something much more powerful than anyzhing else before."

The third that lifted itself out of the water did not stop, taking to the air with a three pronged tail whirring around from behind. The large, circular maw let out a high pitched shriek as the one eye rolled in various directions to take in the sights of the airport. Two sets of clawed arms were situated beneath the golden body as it gave a gurgling cry and zoomed towards the land.

"Rhiahn is the most interesting of my beasts. A fusion between the space Ghidorah DNA and a salamander, it had some strange effects zhat I couldn't just help falling in love with. Zhere aren't many amphibians zhat can fly through zhe sky now, are there? He's zhe fastest one around, and revels in destruction. An excellent option for such an operation. Not to mention, zhe one eye is pretty fun to see lolling around, no?"

The final one was the one trailing behind them all, a motorboat sounding noise coming from the back of the tail. It moved slowly through the bay, a low rumbling noise coming from the saurian. While the others had emerged and sat around the airport in wait for orders, it was dredging itself up. Shaking itself dry, the beast let out a cry and immediately made its way over to the nearest set of decorational palms.

" [size=85]Oh god it followed,[/size] And here is my final beast, Thagos. To be honestly frank, ze thing came to my base one day, and I have been unable to get rid of ze blasted thing. Ze mind control doesn't work on ze thing, I cannot antagonize zhe saurian with my beasts, and it doesn't do much more zhan eat. No matter zhough, it shall be useful. All shall become useful in my taking over of zhe world, and I do not back out lightly!

If zhe people of Honolulu wish for zheir city to come out in relative few pieces, there are a few things zat must be done. Ein, I vish to have 10 billion dollars at my disposal, Swiss Bank account based. I do not need some stupid GDF goons to mess with zhe cash. Zwei, I wish to have zhe last island on zhe chain of Hawaii as my own. Drei, I vant Godzilla cells. There is a facility on this island that has some, along with a few others. Bring zem to me, and I shall give you back your city. Of course zho, I must show that I mean business. No vun wuvld take me seriously if I did not offer such proof. "

A snap of fingers and a mental calling out was the signal, and the three controlled monsters launched outwards. Sea Baragon charged forward through one, and then another hangar. They blew up around the aquatic based dinosaur, who proceeded to begin slashing into the next one in front of him. A roar that had tones of Baragon and Maguma rang out as he did so, only powering his anger and fuel for destruction.

Zuruzla however, was out playing with the now abandoned planes that were scattered around. Picking up the nearest one, he investigated it like a child would a new toy in an attempt to figure it out. It gave a dissatisfied snort, and proceeded to chuck the plane. It spiraled like a throwing star, crashing into the control tower in a flaming ball. What was left crashed into the connected building, sending up a fireball billowing into the sky. Raising his trunk, Zuruzla have a hellish version of an elephant's cry of rage. It proceded to pick up the next one, and chuck it towards the next set of buildings.

Rhiahn was overflying the nearbly buildings, using a method that seemed bizarre to most. It dragged it's claws down, creating large gashes into the nearby structures. It lifted upwards again, and returned back down tail swinging. The extra swipes sent them into explosions not long afterwords, acting as if its tails were a large sawblade working in tandem. Rhiahn was the first to go and notice the assembling military forces, giving an excited screech. He zoomed in towards the crew of tanks and missile launchers headed towards them, tail swinging just above the ground. With muffled screams through the radios, the vehicles soon turned into scraps of flaming metal due to detonated shells and gasoline. It landed, delving it's gigantic head into the wreckage and snapping it's jaws into the carnage.

Thagos of them all reacted the least, continuing to feed off of the trees that he had originally discovered. Once finished, he moved on along the roads. Once finding one, he charged forward to feed from it and crushed an overhead bridge in the way. His head dove downwards once within distance, beginning to devour the series of trees that he had found tucked behind the building. His tail swung in the air, giving a bit of a revving on the tail blades that were dawned upon it. The damage that it had done was mainly minimal, with mostly cosmetic damages that could be fixed later on.

With most of the other monsters focused on destruction, they mostly ignored the small helicopter that landed nearby, dropping off its crew before zooming away to assist in civilian evacuation. The four were fairly light in terms of equipment, with only what seemed to be bare necessities and scattered about preparing for the rescue and securing of the situation.

Joel Mundy stood facing towards the building, having been listening in to the broadcast that Dr. Cornelius had put out. His favorite rifle was strung behind his back, and the lucky hat that was part of his iconic look was sitting on top of his head. He was actually familiar with the man, having worked with him back when he hadn't gone splitting mad. While no one knew how, there had been the rumors of a strange event with an unknown species of parasitic fungus accidentally invading his brain.

He tore his gaze from the building and his thoughts to take a look towards the ones that had accompanied him on such a feat. While he could handle the man inside and his two beasts indoors easily, the giant kaiju were more than what would've been in the normal state for Gorosaurus. With so many kaijin at their disposal however, he was far from alone.

The one to his left was one of the strangest people he had ever seen. A long billowing trenchcoat let loose from the waist and a pair of small sunglasses covered his eyes. He wore red and black sneakers, black pants, and yet did not even wear a shirt. Only having a small chance to talk to him, The Redeemer had claimed that he was from space, and a savior from earth. Believing him to be crazy, he found it was in fact the truth, and was the only known Xilien to have ever aligned itself with humanity. All in all, he was a lot more show than Mundy preferred.

The person closest to him was the one he was honestly the most comfortable with, which was saying something. Alyssa had accompanied them because she was the fastest one to get on, and was the one with the normally flying kaiju Rodan. He had to vouch for her to just get there, but he figured that she would be fairly useful. With the advent of Rhiahn zooming about, he had suspected correctly. Rodan would be useful in the more practical sense.

The fourth was honestly the quietest of the bunch. Looking ominous in the demonic based costume, Destroyer was simply observing the wreckage that the kaiju were causing. She had said nothing in the helicopter ride and debriefing, only nodding where it was needed. Of them all, he trusted her the least based upon the fact that she made little in terms of working with the team or even getting the time to learn their names.

Not wasting time, Mundy shifted the sling on his shoulder and moved the rifle into a more usable position. Facing the three others, he began to give orders, if not the most military strict. Hicks had given him the skeleton of a plan, and he was gonna make sure that it worked out the best. If it didn't, things could go down south really fast.

"Alright, here's the plan. We have approximately 7 minutes to get things close to done before the kaiju get here, and there's at least two different controlled cryptids inside. We deal with the cryptids as we see them, stop the madman at the podium, drive off the kaiju, and get a cold one after it's all done. Stick together, as we don't know what else could be in there."

The three of them giving nods, the small crew entered the main airport hub, vanishing into the abandoned structure, making sure that the sliding doors were pried open and shut rather than automatically triggered. The last thing needed was to send the beasts inside with them coming directly towards the door. While decently equipped, who could know what creations lay beyond the vision of sight?

What greeted them was an abandoned scene of chaos. Bags and luggage were scattered about the place, with a majority of the booths where food or Knick knacks smashed and discarded to the sides. It was only after a while that they began to see the blood. It wasn't too bad, only an occasional smear here and there. Turning down a stairwell towards the main lobby area, it was clearer that something had gone down besides mass panic. A cart blocked the end of the stairwell, and groove marks in the forms of claw marks were visible.

"Jesus," came the hushed voice of Alyssa as she looked over at a small corner, backing away. Joel took a second look to see the form of a decapitated human corpse laying against it. A hand covered her mouth as she did, backing away some. "What the hell happened here?"

"That's the first confirmation of the Kothoga. Nasty piece of work there," replied Mundy, who had approached from behind the girl. "The beast is created from a protein found in a plant from the Amazon and a human who's consumed it. It requires said protein to survive, which can either be harvested from the plant, or taken from the hypothalamus of a human brain. The first recorded appearance had several situations where this occurred. Let's hope we don't run into it."

Gently leading the girl away from the body, the other two simply looked towards it, before looking towards him and giving a nod. Both X and the Destroyer had seen their fair sight of bodies around, and did not need to see another to know that he was no kidder. They continued onwards, Mundy and X's weapons drawn and at the ready. Alyssa had a small switchblade out in the case of encountering such a foe in the hallways. The superhero of the bunch however, trailed a little behind. Small streams of a gas seemed to come out of her palms, followed by red flashes that vanished into the darkness of the hallways around them. Once satisfied, she caught back up to the others, fists tightened in the case of a brawl.

The hallway broadened out not long after into a wide area with a large glass window overlying the airport and the destruction that was being created there by the dubbed "Baraguma" as it tore through the buildings. The small squad couldn't help but stop and watch as it worked through the buildings as if they were just pieces of cardboard to be smashed through. Even as kaijin, a kaiju's rampage could still be something in awe of. The roar could be heard from where they stood, shaking the window panes as it did so. Those who chased after storms could still be awed at such the sight of the most powerful ones, and the same occurred here.

Their attention however, was quickly drawn away from it as the sounds of a cart falling over crashed in from their right. They turned and froze as the sight of a large creature shuffling about nearby, along with crunching noises. It was grey, with a darker shade of the same color covering the back and mottling into the main body. A long tail swished back and forth, dragging on the ground when not flicked upwards in the air. Rounded hind feet could be seen from behind the booth, the front feet obscured by the upturned vending cart

"Nobody move, or make a sound," whispered Mundy, shifting his rifle into a ready position. His voice alone however, was enough for the beast to notice. Flicking small ears upwards, a large head with a single, gigantic horn gleamed in the naturally lit room. Popcorn fell from the mouth of the animal, and it turned its head towards the group of people towards it. Brown eyes narrowed at them, and a small light came on a metal device hooked into the beast's neck. Stomping a foot down, the Emela Ntouka gave a bellowing roar towards the humans. Not giving them much of a chance to react, the beast charged forward.

While most of the crew braced for impact and/or jumping out of the way, a crack of a rifle echoed out in the thick of it all. A sound of metal exploding and the thud and moan of the cryptid were next as it suddenly fell. Falling forward onto its knees, it slid forward until landing on its left side not more than ten feet away from Mundy. The others watched in states of shock and awe, while Mundy simply walked forward to the collapsed beast.

"I have to admit Mundy, I'm impressed," The Redeemer said with a smirk as the Australian approached the unconscious animal. "I didn't think you'd be able to kill something with a single bullet."

"It's not dead," was his reply. "Far from it. I have a past with the Dr. Von Braumn, one that I'm not the most proud of. We were colleagues once, and he was once the most brilliant of the cryptozoological community out there. He's credited with the discovery and study of the Orang Pendek of Borneo. Shame what happened to him really."

"Fill in for those of us who don't spend their time out hunting animals that may not exist for a living," responded Alyssa, who was standing up from behind a row of chairs that she had ducked behind for shelter.

"The Red Bamboo caught him, and tried to force him to use Element X to create a kaiju out of a cryptid. It didn't work of course, it only drove him mad. Once he had been rescued and released, he vanished out of view of humanity. I only saw him again once, in a castle in the Carpathian Mountains. Monsters had been attacking villagers, and I had been called in to help. Turns out he had invented a way to control cryptids. Pulled it out from an old G-Force project, Project T I think."

Approaching the fallen creature, he reached down towards the neck and pulled off a metal panel with a nearly broken satellite dish hanging off of it. Setting it aside, he quickly patched up the wound created from the device. Once done, he picked it back up and moved back towards the crew to show them up close and personal. Each of them looked over the box with slight interest, taking in the details of the box as Mundy continued to speak.

"I would bet a solid amount of money that the Kothoga would also have such a device attached to it, and that whatever kaiju the "good doctor" hasn't bonded to has something similar on it. It'd be the only way that they could listen to him without going rouge when out of sight. Even then, I'm putting lethal ordinance on the Kothoga."

"Why should we? What did it ever do to us?" barreled out the accusing questions from Alyssa as she glared towards Mundy. Her hands were firmly on her hips, a frown gracing her face. Not even giving a flinch, the Australian locked eyes with her and spoke in a firm voice as the other two quietly shuffled around awkwardly. From outside, thundering footsteps echoed as the calvary finally arrived to give backup.

"The Kothoga is a mutated human, and had a body count of over twenty people from its first known record appearance outside of South America. If let out loose in here, the body count will rapidly climb and our safety would dwindle greatly. I am willing to put that thing down in order for survival. If you don't like that, the door's right over there," he said sternly.

"But from the looks of it, the calvary has arrived. Probably safer in here than out there right now."

While the mad scientist's beats tore through buildings, a roar echoed out from where the ocean was. All stopped to see a sight that chilled even the controlled beast's blood. Leading the charge, slate grey skin dripping water and standing triumphantly, was Gorosaurus. Shaking his open jaws to release water that had gotten in, he stomped the earth and glared at the monsters in front of him.

On his left, hovering down from the sky and landing on his two feet, Monster X cried out a challenge of war and pounded his fists together. He took a ready stance next to the saurian, who gave a nod. The alien once used for war and domination across the universe was now the savoir of a planet, and took this role with pride. No longer was the right path paved with the blood of dozens of worlds, but a path of light that this beast had long since thought impossible to attain with the blood on his hands.

From his right, pulling out from the waters with long spindly red limbs, a demonic beast pulled itself upwards from the water. Giving a hellish screech, Destroyah's Aggregate form towered with long, spiny limbs. Birthed from the destroying force of an odd superweapon to kill one of mankind's mistakes, it had been created. With its bounded however, a new purpose had been designated to the beast's life. No longer would it be a destroyer, something to tear into shreds, but a newly designated protector of life, a creature of order and balance.

Rhiahn was the first to react, throwing itself off from the ground and into the air with an unholy screech. Before it could get far however, it was blindsided by a brown blur that threw up a small whiplash. Righting itself, Rhiahn turned to see a large brown pterosaur slowly flapping to stay above the earth, glaring towards it with black soulless eyes. Giving a taunting roar to it, Rodan challenged the flyer and took off. Taking the obvious bait, Rhiahn zoomed up after the beast.

The remaining kaiju charged, tackling their foes with a violent energy. Gorosaurus charged forward at Baraguma, clamping down on the beast's right arm with a crushing bite. The hybrid howled in pain, and whipped his head down to stab a few new holes into Gorosaurus's hide. A skeletal hand grabbed the horn however, and roughly yanked it away from Gorosaurus. Baraguma howled as Gorosaurus teeth drug chasms into the arm, letting go only for Monster X to land a well-timed fist into its face and sending it sprawling away from the duo. The dinosaur gave a grunt, nodding towards Destroyah with its massive head. X gave a nod, picking up the message clearly; Gorosaurus could handle this one on his own.

Destroyah meanwhile, wasn't having as good of a time. Charging forward at Zuruzla, it had begun with swiping and jabbings with the far reaching arms that it had, holding the winning edge for a short while. It didn't take long for Zuruzla to recover however, and the elephant kaiju went on the warpath. Charging forward, fists smashed into the spindly limbs, twisting one into an odd position and the other one cracked in various places. Another sent the limb shattering into dozens of shards, elicting a cry of Pain from Destroyah.

As Destroyah screeched and baced off a bit, Zuruzla attempted to move forward to destroy its foe. It received a well-placed fist into its face, stumbling with a pained trumpet. As it reoriented itself, Monster X stared back with a glare that seemed to come from hell itself. The red sunken eyes glowed bright, and yellow bolts seared out from them. They slammed into the hide of the elephantine kaiju, exploding with concussive force and eliciting a cry from the downed beast. While it stumbled to regain its sense of balance, X gave a grunt to Destroyah, telling it to help elsewhere

It didn't stay down for long however, and gave a cry of rage before charging over. Fists were met with fists, claws with claws. Even with the brute strength of Zuruzla behind him, it was met blow for blow and soon being surpassed by the alien monster. Whatever this beast had, he had surmounted beforehand. The swathes of the Xilien army and their meager forces were still stronger than this beast right here. A square fist in the middle of the beast's forehead sent it careening back into a hanger with a plume, where it didn't immediately get back up. X gave a roar in victory, and hovered to see if it would arise once more.

The mutant's allies were doing about the same. Rhiahn was zooming through the skies, giving a gurgly cackle as it zoomed and dodged through the clouds with ease. Right behind it, a loud roar from Rodan echoed out, her brow furrowing in frustration. This foe was just faster than she was, and it was [i]taunting[/i] her while doing it all, making matters worse. As it zoomed into a cloud ahead of her, a plan formed in her head. Ducking beneath where her foe had entered the swirling moisture, she zoomed low and arced upwards, increasing speed.

As the yellow oddity emerged, it quickly swiveled around to prepare a direct attack from the one that had been pursuing it. The large, frog like mouth opened, and a series of arcing bolts of energy crackled into a ball like form. When it didn't emerge when Rhiahn had expected it to, panic fluttered in the beast's stomach. Where had it gone to? It had been just behind him. How could it have changed direction so quickly?

Its answer soon came from below, streaking up with the rapidity of a fighter jet. Rodan slammed into the flying beast from below, sending the yellow abomination falling down through the sky, flailing and shrieking wildly as it did so. The energy ball shot built up shot out wildly, and grazed against the prehistoric pterosaur's back. Instead of a painful shriek, the ancient beast simply gave a grunt for the pain and pursued her foe back into the clouds. While it had hurt, a natural immunity to energy weapons had proven useful in dealing with such a deal beforehand.

The two flying foes soon resumed their game of chase, with Rhiahn taking the lead just by a bit. But as the two chased each other through the skies, a beam struck the golden beast, sending it veering off to the right. A chilling shriek heralded the flying form of Destroyah, charging in to the fray. Slowing down, Rodan gave a greeting cry to the other. The two beasts stopped long enough to have some sort of communication, and looked towards their foe. Rhiahn, flesh remolding from the blast of MicroOxygen, gave a hellish cry towards the two. Giving cries of their own, the two began to implement their plan.

Gorosaurs meanwhile, was in the fight of his life. Bitter hatred was his motive, leading to stronger bite, tail swipes, and thundering kicks. In turn, Baraguma swiped with his sword like horn, tackling, tumbling, and biting. The monumental moment was after a series of clashes leaving them both a bit exhausted. Gorosaurus stood tall, bit with several gashes and bite marks, would leave with a few scars. Baraguma's armor had saved it from most of the bites, but a few kicks had broken ribs, and a small trickle of blood ran down the side of its mouth. The two circled each other, fiery determination and hatred meaning that neither would leave without the other a cooling corpse.

Baraguma suddenly broke through the circling, rushing forward and biting down onto Gorosaurus's arm. The slate grey theropod gave a shriek as the tusks pierced through the arm muscles, barely missing the tibia and fibula of his right arm. Pain fueled his newly growing hatred, and he attempted to bite down on the exposed neck. The long horn however, kept him at bay, forcing him to try and back off to make a new plan. The hyrbird however, made it extremely difficuly, and attempted to jab the long and narrow horn into Gorosaurus's chest.

The sound of a loud cry of protest and a vibrating blade like noise however, was Gorosaurus's savior. A sudden saw blade like weapon sliced into the exposed neck of Baraguma. The hybrid gave a pained shriek as the blade cut through its vulnerable neck. With Gorosaurus's arm free, the kaiju reared up and placed a kangaroo kick straight into the chest of Baraguma. Giving a wild shriek, it bounced a couple of times and landed in a hanger with a small explosion. Giving a grunt and a slight nod, he turned to face his rescuer. Thagos gave a grunt in greeting, the saw like tail blades revving down to a more friendly level. The two had met previously, and whether it was a like-minded nature or a kinship from a more Jurassic age of origin, the two were allies.

"VHAT! IN VHAT BLOODY HELL ARE ZHOSE TWO EVEN FRIENDLY! ZHEY ARE MORTAL ENEMIES FROM ZHE PREHIZTORIK AGE, IT MAKES ZERO SENSE. ZILCH!" The mad doctor shouted, throwing things across the room. His frustration made the small captive crowd flinch, the ones in the first row dodging flung office supplies and random things that Cornelius could grab his hands on. The tantrum lasted a little while longer, before he stopped, whipping his glasses off and grabbing the bridge of his nose. He muttered to himself, attempting to work things out in his head while holding his neck in a phantom pain. The hand with the kaiju controller held it out, fairly loosely for someone to nab.

"Alright, alright. Zhe beasts are more than able to get rid of zhese dumpkoffs with ease. Sure, zhey got the surprise card, but my beasts are far stronger. But vhat is the likelihood would four separate beasts arrive to stop me? Unless, unless, zhey are-"

A sound of a gun firing made everyone flinch, the crack echoing in the enclosed room. The target was struck, shattering the controller and Dr. Cornelius Von Braumn's right hand in the process. The man gave a cry, clutching the wounded hand. He whipped his head to see Joel Mundy standing there, with two people standing with him. He recognized them by their similar appearances to the monsters fighting outside. Giving a look of rage, he barked out to the stepped up heroes.

"Mundy, you bastard. Vhat the hell are you doing here? You should be in Australia playing guard dog for zhe government. And last I checked, zhere were no friends of Joel Mundy. At least, no living ones."

Mundy's fist tightened at the taunting remark, his face only giving a small twitch of anger. When he replied, there was a level of authority and malic that surprised both the Destroyer and The Redeemer. While they really knew little of their compatriot, all they could do was trust in him as they set up the next part of the trap.

"We're here to stop you Cornelius. I don't have orders that said to bring you in alive either. You've gone too far this time. Way too far to be considered anywhere near sane. You can either come with us peacefully, or in a body bag. It's your choice."

"Ah, are you trying to scare me? Intimidation vas never your strong suit anyway. You see, I have created the perfect trap. Zhere is no more talking my old friend. I only vant you to die Mr. Mundy. And zhis time, I have zhe correct means to do so. Fredrick, please tear your old friend into tiny little pieces."

A low growl from the right indicated the location of the second, deadly cryptid. A ball of pity, regret, and fear plummeted into Mundy's stomach as the Kothoga stalked around the corner, claws clicking against the tiled flooring of the airport area. It was hard to see, until it paused in front of a large aquarium, its silhouette becoming clear in form. Just as they had planned.

The water behind the beast suddenly frothed and bubbled, and the glass containing the water burst out. Standing in the center of the shattered glass and the skeletal fish, a Destroyah Aggregate stood. It screeched, and began to slice into the Kothoga. It screeched in surprise, stumbling backwards to avoid the swinging pincers. It quickly faced the crustacean, and roared defiantly into its face. With the distraction being enough, the mad scientist took this time to flee for his life. Not missing this, Mundy turned to his companions and spoke quickly.

"You two, go after Von Braumn. I can handle the situation here with the Aggregate. Just make sure he doesn't get away!"

The two nodded, and ran after him. The Destroyer hesitated only for a moment, looking back before choosing to hunt after the madman. Those that had been held hostage were long since headed out from the room, choosing to try and escape rather than be stuck in between two dueling beasts. They were intertwined, the Kothoga trying to pierce the armored hide of the Destyorah Aggregate while the latter was only barely missing an injection of MicroOxygen while slamming limbs into his enemy. A second try landed a single hit, giving it a dose of MicroOxygen boiling its blood. The vertebrate soon gained the upper hand however. Rearing up, the Kothoga slammed a clawed hand into its head with the force strong enough to crush concrete. It tore the Aggregate's head off, sending it skittering off and the body to fall over limp and dissolve.

With its enemy down, and it slowly going beserk, the Kothoga once more set it's sight onto Mundy. It looked at him with an almost human intelligence. The sractched pincers opened to reveal a set of teeth that could easily puncture a human skull. It only stayed back from the fearless Australian Bushman for a little while, before charging forward with a roar.

The first two fliers to clash with each other were Rhiahn and the Destroyah. It was a physical clash, with Rhiahn's arms scratching against Destroyah's armor. The flying crustacean cared little however, discharging a blast into the flying amphibian's face. It gave a cry of pain, letting go of the flying beast to recover. Using this opportunity, it latched its tail pincer around the beast's fairly narrow throat, and began to drag it along. As Rhiahn struggled, using his tail rudders to pull against the blow, Rodan swooped in from the side. She slammed into the golden flier, knocking the wind right out of the beast. Temporarily stunned, the three pronged tail stopped spinning. The added weight made the Flying Destroyah's job easier, occasionally moving the weight back and forth as Rodan continued to bombard the unconscious abomination.

Once close to the water's edge, the two linked beast's collided with the water, while the female pterosaur kaiju pulled up and circled around. Beneath the waves, she could see flashes of light and the silhouette of the flying monster she was fighting. It didn't take long before Rhiahn shot out of the water, shrieking in pain and zooming away over the ocean as chunks of its body re-healed. The waters flashed once more as the flying form of Destroyah emerged, and the two took off back towards their compatriots on the land.

Baraguma slowly pulled itself up from the fiery wreck of the hangar, shaking off the rubble that had built up around it. The horn on his head was cracked, and a tusk had snapped off in impact. A snarl formed on its lips, and it emerged to duel with Gorosaurus and that bastard of a dinosaur kaiju that had attacked it. As it did however, it stopped. For the first time in it's tragically short life, it felt fear at the sight of the beasts in front of it. The two from before stood there, Gorosaurus giving a snarl at the survival of him. The Stegosaur on his left gave a sharp cry, raising the tail and giving the saw like blades a rev in warning. To Gorosaurus's right, Monster X hovered menacingly in front, the red eyes promising a hellish end for the hybrid. On the other side of Thagos, Rodan hovered with small wing movements, giving a hellish cry of its own. A flash signaled the return of the giant Aggregate form had returned, giving a screcch and clackings from its trashing limbs.

Seeing this assembly of monsters and nightmares, Baraguma made a last decision. Rather than run like a coward, he would fight to the end. He charged forward at the assembly of monsters, aiming for Gorosaurus. The horn was stopped and snapped off suddenly by Monster X, making Baraguma screech in pain. Using his gravitational powers just right for Gorosaurus, he repositioned the horn and angled it towards the beast itself. Giving a nod, he charged forward and hit the horn with a Kangaroo Kick. It shot into the hybrid, impaling it's heart and making it stop suddenly. As the life faded from Baraguma, it wished them luck. A force this strong would be needed. Even he, the mutant aberration, could see the incoming wall of darkness, and all would be needed for such an endeavor.

Joel Mundy stared down the beast that had once been a friend, rifle raised as it charged forward. In the entirety of the world of cryptozoology, a single bullet had not ever been enough to stop a crazed Kothoga before. There would be no difference here. He aimed finger wrapped around the trigger and hoped that someone, somewhere, would have a miracle in store.

As the beast lept at Mundy, the small prayer he had uttered was answered with a pained shriek. Joel opened his shut eyes to see the Emela Ntouka, with Alyssa on top, having impaled the beast through the torso. As the predatory animal thrashed, the horned animal slammed the once human into the ground several times, until it had well stopped twitching. Once satisfied, it retracted its horn out from the beast and let the Kothoga's corpse fall to the ground. Alyssa turned towards Mundy, a big smile beaming on her face.

"I just saved Joel Mundy. Me and my friend here. His name is Roger. Not so bad to have as a friend once you get to know him."

"Don't get too cocky over it," was Mundy's response, a smile on his face, "We still have a good deal of work to go capture our friendly mad scientist. And just to let you know, Roger is a girl."

"It's the 21st century. If I want to name the giant animal I'm riding Roger, I can," was the snap back from Alyssa. Tapping her feet, the Emela Ntouka lowered itself so that Mundy could get on. Once he was on, the teen tapped once more, and the two headed out of the shattered window that had been made by the mad doctor in his escape.

As they got outside however, a scene played in front of them that they could not control. The two superhuman kaijin were hot on the doctor's trail, but he remained ahead of them. It was with the quick perception of The Redeemer that he could stop himself and his compatriot before it happened. As Baraguma's body fell, it crushed the fleeing Dr. Von Braumn beneath it, with a short scream the last thing he said. Mundy and Alysaa quickly caught up with the other two, watching the kaiju celebrate and relax from such a fight. Quickly getting it off, he went up to the other two with a smile, shaking hands and giving congratulations.

"Well done on your guys's end. We were able to get the people free, and kill two of the rampaging kaiju. That's a victory in my book."

"What of the beast there?" asked Destroyer, a hand pointing towards the cryptid standing next to Alyssa, "I don't think they're just going to let it go, knowing police habits and the like."

"Roger? I think I'll be able to talk them into letting it go back to the research center in Australia for rehabilitation and study," was Mundy's response, "This wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with this thing here before, and things should go pretty smoothly. But I have a gut feeling that this isn't the end of things, but just the beginning. Glad to be working with you guys on this kind of thing."

"Things are only going to get worse for you. Darkness spreads across the globe, and good must unite to push back the darkness. Or else, an evil that awoke years ago shall return to the world," a pair of voices in unison spoke out. The small group looked around, until they noticed a strange sight next to them. Two small girls sat upon a bird sized moth, dawned in ornate clothing. None needed to find identification for them, as they were known worldwide. Some called them fairies. Some, the first kaijin of the world. They identified themselves however, as the Elias.

"Mothra has sensed the change, and has sent her paladin to help with the challenge that comes along."

A cloud of moths emerged from the jungle, outside of Honolulu. They swarmed through the town towards the airport, healing and fixing as they went. As they approached the Airport, they began to condense and solidify, coming together in a bright flash of light. The cry that followed was that of hope, that lifted the spirits and injuries of the battling kaiju. Mothra Leo had arrived, choosing to join in the battle for mankind's future.


	14. Interlude

People ran around screaming in downtown Osaka, running for their lives. Scrambling over each other, vanishing underground, or even just running, all tried to go and run from what was coming. An incredibly short face, with fangs that draped down the sides and dawned with a crown of horns towered over the buildings, revealing more as it came around the street corner. It was a long bodied creature, with a spiked shell back and fairly small arms in comparison with the rest of its body, which ended with a long tail. Giving its iconic high pitched shriek, Bemular continued with the rampage against the city.

Beasts such as Godzilla and Anguirus had been mutated descendants of dinosaurs, beings that survived down through the ages. One could trace their lineages through the times, up until their creation themselves. While few other species received such a fate, a small nuclear testing near South America found that they were not the only place in the world where such beasts had survived. Abeliosaurs had continued on as well, and one took to the radiation as Godzilla had. There, Bemular was born, first appearing in 1969 and making sporadic appearances since then. In a world of Kaijin, it remained one of the few that was unbounded in some form or another. A wild beast, a true kaiju that ruled and rampaged as it pleased.

Even with such a size however, there were a few leftover traits from the ages of when it was simply another animal. When a shriek rang out near its head, it turned to investigate. There, sprawled against the rooftop of an apartment complex, was a women frozen in fear of the beast. This would do nicely, and make for a small check on a hunger that never really seemed to end. Giving a small growl in the excitement of such a find, the beast's jaws opened up and aimed down towards the roof to eat the small morsel.

But as all seemed ill fated for the poor woman, the sounds of swishing cables rang out. Her eyes were shut tight, too fearful of the end of her existence to even look at what was coming. Pain grazed the snout of Bemular, who gave a small shriek in pain. The women stood in shock as a man stood in front of her, two gigantic metal clawed hands dripping with kaiju blood. Not looking back, the stranger called out to her.

"Hop on! We don't have much time."

With the only other option of consumption available, the woman quickly scrambled and held onto her hero. The stranger took off as Bemular identified what attacked him and took his quick bite to eat. He swung from building to building with a series of cables aimed with his gloves and bursts of compressed air, swinging from building to building. The stranger spoke into a headpiece, keeping in contact with whoever had sent him.

"Orion to Home Base, rescue was a success. Bemular has also taken the bait."

Giving a shriek of rage, the saurian turned and began to follow, never looking away from the pest that had hurt it. Slashing through the first building, it began to follow them down the street. Stomping over panicking crowds and retreating lines, it didn't see the trap until it was too late. A large beam of maser energy lashed into the breastplate of the beast, sending him down with a shriek to the ground. Slowly getting up, Bemular was greeted by the small dashing thing vanishing into a long machine hovering in front of him. It was an elongated ship, with a gigantic drill on the front that gleamed in the remaining lights of the burning night.

The Atragon had come to the aid of Osaka, and had brought a few new things to share with the world. Standing inside at the helm of the bridge, Nemo Outisseus stared down the beast that had chosen to attack the innocent with the interest that a wolf gives to a wounded deer. Leaning against the railing, the crew inside awaited orders. It was silent for a few moments, with the captain calmly saying the commands.

"Give him a distraction, and let our ground forces take care of him. Most civilians have been evacuated, and we have been given the proper commands. Let's see how this lizard likes humanity's attack on titans like him."

With the given signal, the Atragon went on the warparth. Missles streaked out and collided into Bemular, pushing him back while not hurting him much. They were accompanied by Electronic Particle cannon blasts, each impact earning a shriek and making him take a step back. He eventually lined back up with the last street he had crossed, and planted his feet into the soil. Slamming his tail down, Bemular gave a screech of rage and prepared for the return attack. It was not prepared for being slammed into and sent towards the side.

The mutated saurian only had a little time to deal with the slashes and stabs that came from his assailant until a ram pushed him away enough to face his foe. The kaiju's vision was graced with a quadrupedal beast, of wrinkly skin and a row of horns starting from the top of the head running the entire length on the body. Fins on the side of the attacker's head flared out as Varan roared out towards his foe. Bemular returned the cry, and charged forward.

The two clashed with a fury not seen since a prehistoric era. Varan swiped out at the predator with an unabashed fury, trying to gut the dinosaur as best as he could. Bemular returned the favor by biting down on the beast's shoulder, eliciting a cry from Varan. The beast didn't react long, grabbing the beast with its free arm and pushing forward into the area nearest the Osaka Castle. A quick support bombardment from the Atragon helped little to force Bemular to let go.

The bipedal monster began to plant its feet back into the ground, stopping Varan's push forward. Straining its muscles, Bemular reared his neck and swung it towards the right. Momentum went and took Varan with it, sending the reptilian monstrosity flinging into the air. Instead of crashing down into the street, it spread its legs wide. A flap of skin extended wide and the kaiju glided down towards the earth, crouching atop one of the larger buildings nearby. It gave a hiss at Bemular, who answered from his position with a shrieking roar of his own.

The sound of a small explosion of heat drew Bemular's attention away from Varan. As he turned towards it, a fist smashed into his small face, sending him reeling back. A few more sent him screeching to the ground, as a steaming giant stood above him. It gave an earth shattering roar, the bright red parts only dimming in the night's light. Musculature and skin stook out, but the being's entire focus was on the invading beast on the ground. Stepping forward, it raised a foot and slammed it down on top of the kaiju's head. The reverberations shook windows for a quarter of a mile as it did it again a second, a third, and a fourth time. Only at the last, when blood leaked out from the kaiju's mouth did it stop.

Watching from the bridge of the Atragon, Nemo smiled a bit at the sight of the new arrival at work. So absorbed into this, he almost missed the more feminine voice that rang out through the control room.

"Which one is that? I can't say I've seen him before."

Nemo looked back to see Orion and the woman he had rescued standing on the bridge, the former giving a small sheepish grin at his look. The lady in their presence however, seemed to be fascinated with the steaming monstrosity displayed in front of them. He could admit that it was definitely unique to see someone who had been rescued to ever make such interest. Giving a small shrug, he saw little harm in telling her.

"That is our little Rogue Titan, he's with us. The kaijin inside of him is Eren Jaeger, a kid from Germany. We found him back a few months back, teaming up with Sanda to take down something like himself, but easily twice his size. Turns out someone found out the formula to create Frankenstein's Monster, and wanted to see what would happen when given to live subjects. Seems that it has a variety of effects, judging by the few corpses we found of the ones like Jaeger. From what we found out, there could be the others still out there alive and able to do so."

"You mean that he's [i]in there?[/] That's absolutely fascinating…" the woman said, a gleam in her eyes as she watched the titan smash into Bemular. "It just presents a variety of questions. Like, how many times can he do it without wearing himself out? What temperature does he reach when getting to these states? Is it nuclear origin, or something-"

"That'll be enough miss. I can tell that you're quite enthusiastic about this, which would explain why you were on a rooftop when the city had been evacuated. Now, while most would make sure that you are alright and then drop you off at the nearest place convenient, I am not them. Tell me, do you have a name miss?" the captain said with the faintest of smiles on his lips.

"Tucker, Tucker Jones sir," the woman said, scratching behind her head in embarrassment. "I get a bit enthusiastic about giant monsters. I majored in kaiju biology, but I have been having the hardest time actually securing a place to gain employment. But that hasn't stopped me from viewing at least a few more kaiju battles up close than probably safe. Inhibition was never something that stopped me from doing what I thought was needed. And while that's all fine and grand, that doesn't change the fact that Varan is still there and is a threat."

The faint flicker of a smile grew into a small, genuine one as Nemo listened to her speak. She reminded him of himself at her age, young and fiery about what she cared for. It was like the days of being a vigilante once again, with a vitality and energy to help do things. He spoke with a kinder tone in voice than one would have expected at such an insubordination. Looking at her with a single glowing eye, he spoke to her

"I see. Do not worry about Varan, as they're doing just what's best for the world as of this moment. And once this is all done, I would like to have a serious discussion of bringing you in as our ship scientist. There are those at GDF that do not like the fact that we are just kaijins and warriors. All those that they have sent however, were gone within the week. Would you be interested in such a spot?"

Tucker's eyes lit up, and she gave a small gasp. But before she could answer, a moaning cry made them all look towards the battle. The sight of the Titan grasping his foot could be seen, along with the spiny back of Bemular rising upwards. The humanoid kaiju had been tricked, and had stomped onto the heavily armored back instead of the softer fleshy parts.

Taking the opportunity, the wounded Bemular swung his tail into the Titan's chest and sent him sprawling backwards near where Varan was perched. Slamming its tail down onto the ground, the short snouted kaiju roared out a warning and a declaration. As far as it cared, it was now a fight to the death. Whether it lost or won, it mattered little. It would not back down at this point.

Stumbling back onto his feet, the Titan took a ready stance, eyes locked with the beast. They only looked away as Varan stood next to him, a small nod from it being a signal from Nemo. A quick look at each other was enough, and the both faced the roaring beast in front of them. They launched at the same time, each aiming for a different spot than the other. The Titan swung a fist into Bemular's face as his reptilian ally swiped out at his legs with his tail.

The combined attack surprised Bemular, sending him crashing once more to the ground. The earth shook again as he fell, vibrating the ancient castle nearby. This time however, the mutated dinosaur didn't get up. Unconscious and bleeding on the ground, Bemular was down and out from the battle. Both kaiju roared out in victory, the Titan pounding his chest while Varan reared onto hind legs. The cries of victory echoed out across the city, raising a cheer from those that were still inside. It was a rare event where such little damage had been done, and the energy growing around was infectious.

Once done, Varan galloped forward and took off, gliding and crashing into Tokyo Bay to sink beneath the waves. The Titan grabbed the unconscious kaiju, and lifted it. As it marched towards the approaching ship, it groaned under the weight. It didn't take long fortunately, with the Gotengo hovering just above them. Gigantic grapsers, similar to the G Crusher that Mecha King Ghidorah once had, latched on and drew the beast close to the vehicle. Cables shot into the beast, and began to pump sedatives into the kaiju.

Back on the deck, Nemo looked back at Orion with a grin on his face. Even in such a victory however, the captain was not one to forget orders or small things. He spoke with a voice of happiness, but tinged with sternness.

"Orion, go fetch Jaeger and let's get out of here. Our target has been sedated successfully, and the Monster Island staff will be eager for another addition to their collection."

Giving a nod, Orion dashed down the halls, reaching a small port and vanishing into it. Tucker and Nemo watched on the screen as the form of Orion shot out, and he hooked onto the back of the Titan's neck. Activating the gauntlets, they transformed into the gigantic bear claws once more. Digging the hand's into the neck, they tore past the armor and split the neck open. As the kaiju cried out, they stuck in and pulled out the sticky and wet form of what seemed to be a teenager, before Orion bounced off and hooked on into the ship.

When the doors opened and shut, the engines on the back of the Gotengo lit up. Leaving the rapidly steaming and dissolving Titan body behind to fall harmlessly into the street, the ship took off with its cargo into the starry night. Osaka could now rest knowing that a new type of task force had been born, and was ready to defend the world as needed. Little did they know that their presence would be needed a lot sooner than one could imagine.


	15. Tidings of War

Outside the ruins of Northern Los Angles, 08:00 hours

The sight that the Plymouth Roadrunner pulled up to was one chaotic scene. People were pulling in and out, passing various machines of war, platoons of soldiers, tanks, and more. James fidgeted in his seat, the sights bringing back memories from Portland. Kelly was more focused on the road, dodging military vehicles left and right and occasionally laying on the horn. Mia and Leslie meanwhile, were glued to the windows, eyeing each piece of machinery that passed by. Mia particularly was asking questions as fast as she could.

"What's that one with the big satellite dish on it? Why do they have so much weaponry if they're asking for kaijin? I mean, are they really that worried? Are there gonna be other kid kaijin like me? I wonder if there will be any cute ones. I hope that Toto gets along with them. Maybe he'll make a new friend! Wouldn't that be cool? Perhaps even-"

She was silenced as they rounded a bend, and the valley where the kaiju were currently staying came into view. No one in the car had seen this many different beasts together in one place before. There were more recognizable beasts, such as King Caesar, Gomora, and Mothra of all beasts alongside ones that were a little less known, such as Gomess, Red King, and . One in particular however, caught Mia's attention.

"Leslie?"

"What is it sweetie?" replied the blonde woman sitting next to her.

"Is that another Gamera over there?"

Her question was answered with a high pitched wail that echoed out across the valley, as the much larger Gamera looked towards them. Mia waved hello frantically, not really realizing that even the giant turtle kaiju couldn't see her from inside the car. They meandered around, and after a short while, they pulled into the last check in point. Kelly flicked the badge up at the guard, who nodded and pulled the gate up. The Plymouth pulled through, letting the trailer with a sleeping Toto pull around and down towards the valley where the kaiju are.

Finding a place in between the military vehicles, Kelly quickly parked the muscle car. The small crew got out, all of them closing the car doors gently with the exception of little Mia who slammed hers shut. She and Leslie went to the back to grab bags, while Kelly and James went to the front of the vehicle. Noticing James's more nervous looking around, she placed a hand gently on his shoulder and pulled him towards her.

"Look, I know that you're nervous. I'm in the same damn boat amigo. Just relax, as the only ones who know are Leslie and I, and I ain't stickin around. You'll be fine."

"Thanks," was the reply from James, releasing a held breath. Perhaps he had been taking too much time in worrying about how things would go down. There was no way that the military could know about him and his little monstrosity that lived inside his head now, could there? He had only blabbed to the two girls behind them, there was no way that these personnel could know what he did to Portland.

[i] So I'm at a monstrosity level now. How quaint. Beats being just the plain ol' monster that lives in your head.[/i] spoke Vakishim for the first time since being beaten in Portland. [i]And here I thought that you didn't care that I had ruined your entire, pathetic, miserable life.[/i]

James winced at the voice's appearance, leaning over and clutching his hands into fists to regain control and silence to grace his thoughts. Once that had been done, he focused on reality again to find a man in uniform having a hand on his shoulder and a concerned look on his face.

"Are you alright sir? Do you need anything?"

"I'm alright," was James's response, giving the man a weak smile. "Just getting used to nonmoving ground, which is hard with her poor driving."

This earned a laugh from the soldier, and a pat on the shoulder. "True that. She always was a rough driver. Speaking of which, I am really surprised to see you here of all people Kelly. I would have thought that you were dead set on not doing anything being a hero again."

"I am. I ain't being in this fight," was the response from Kelly, anger tinging the lower tones of her voice. "Just acting as a chauffeur and a messenger. And my message is a simple one."

Reaching forward, she took Ramirez by the scurf of his shirt and put him in an arm bar. She leaned down and whispered in the man's ear.

"If I find that my darling Mia is hurt, or even killed, there will be nothing stopping me from finding your ass and making sure it doesn't see another day. Comprende?"

A short nod from the man allowed for her to release him into a pile onto the ground. Brushing off her hands, she left Ramirez to fix himself as she went to each of her friends. She hugged Leslie tightly, and whispered into her ear a message. The next was Mia, a tight hug and a promise made to come to her if things got too hairy and she needed to escape. A few more hugs, and a surprise present in the form of a necklace with a turtle pendent for good luck.

James was the last to be visited by her, whom was approached with a small smirk. Before he could say anything, a hand grasped around the back of his head and he was drawn in for a kiss. Being caught unaware, he was little prepared for the passionate display of affection, and was left with a shocked look as Kelly gave him a wink.

"Something to keep you on the right path soldier boy. Keep my Mia safe, and don't forget what you're fighting for."

And with that, she left her small crew and headed back to the Plymouth. Mia waved as it drove back the way it came, shouting goodbyes and the like with a still stunned James left in the dust. Leslie sauntered up behind him and slung an arm around his neck, and a playful slug in the arm.

"Not bad work there mate. Better than most guys I've seen her with. Pick yer jaw up from the dirt and let's go get signed in."

Giving a small chuckle, she dragged him around and held her hand out for Mia to hold. The trio went into the nearest building, a small set up tent with a sign reading CHECK IN hanging up from above. The inside was set up fairly simply, with a few tables with walls up in between them, and a person at each table. A man in uniform saw them first however, and approached the trio.

"Welcome! I'm going to assume that you three are kaijins, correct?"

"Yes sir," was the quick reply from Leslie, not mentioning James's in particular. The last thing that they would need would be him getting under arrest for what happened in Portland. Luckily, the man didn't delve too far into it, giving a nod and gesturing towards the open booths.

"You're just past the mad rush, but that might be to your benefit. Each of you will need to go to a booth, and they'll help you fill out the paperwork necessary for you to move past them. They'll lead you to where you need to go after words."

Each of them nodded, and the soldier moved back to his post by the door. James simly looked to them, before going off to a booth closer towards the end of the lane. Mia looked up towards her older friend, feeling her grip tightening. Noticing the kid looking at her, Leslie let go of Mia's hand and looked her in the eyes.

"We are going to have to split up for a bit. Just tell them the truth, and I'll be right next you in the next booth, alrighty? Do you think you can do that?"

Mia nodded, giving her friend a smile and a roll of her eyes.

"I can handle myself Leslie. I've been doing alright with Toto on my own for awhile now. I think I can handle a ten minute session by myself."

"Don't doubt it for a minute kiddo. Just take care of yerself, alright?"

And with that, she proceeded to one of the middle booths, taking a seat and began talking to the person behind the glass. Straightening herself up and giving a huff, Mia proceeded to do the same, walking up to a booth next to the now chatting Leslie. She had to pull the chair up some, and proceeded to sit in it. When she looked up, a woman smiled at her and began to speak.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest thing to walk in on me today. How can I help ya darling?"

"I've come to help out. Me and Toto," she said with confidence, tinted with a taste of fear in it. It was hard enough for people to take her seriously sometimes being the age of twelve. Surprisingly however, the woman nodded and continued to speak.

"I'll help ya get in to do things like that darling. I just need to ask you a few questions first, if that's alright. Just to help me fill out paperwork."

"Okay."

"Good. Now sweetie, what's your name and how old are you?

"I'm Mia Harper, and I'm 12 years old."

"Do you have permission to be here from your parents Mia?"

"I don't have parents anymore miss. All I have is Toto, Leslie, and Kelly. I do have this slip from Kelly, something with her being my legal guardian." Mia said with an almost casual air, passing the note underneath the hole to the woman. She read it over, and continued to talk.

"I'm so sorry about that sweetie, I didn't know."

"It's fine. It's how Toto and I became really good friends."

"That's my next question. Who's Toto sweetheart?"

"Toto is the juvenile Gamera that I am bonded with. He's the one with the round snout, the cute shell, and occasionally gets the hiccups when he's scared. It makes me laugh when he gets them."

The lady's eyes widened a little at the realization of who she was bonded with, but showed little in body language otherwise. She quickly checked some boxes, and submitted the document via a tablet. Giving a small nod, she looked back towards the small child.

"Alright sweetie, looks like you're in the database. Now, due to your age, you're gonna be in the reserves, helping defend the home base and the like. We don't need you running into the thick of battle and getting badly hurt now, do we?"

While a part of her wanted to be out battling in the thick of things, she gave a sigh of relief. Toto had struggled hard enough with the lizard that had murdered her parents, and she wasn't sure if he'd get too far in the thick of things without getting really hurt. She wanted to play it safe for now, rather than loose the one closest to her.

"I'm alright with it miss."

"Good! Now, just follow me around to the door, and you can wait for your friends in the receiving area next to the door if that's alright with you."

Mia nodded, and followed her out of the booth and past the empty ones to the door. They opened, and the lady greeted her with a smile. Mia was surprised that she was almost as short as she was, but said nothing as she followed her to the waiting room. On the way, she thought she caught a glimpse of James being led to a room, before the doors swung shut quickly and he was obscured out of sight. They soon came upon the room, a smaller place that was closer to a doctor's waiting room than a receiving area. As Mia took a seat, the lady passed her a water bottle and a bag of gummy bears. Looking at them with confusion, the lady spoke to her before leaving.

"Kelly and I were friends back in the day. Anyone that's close to her is close to me. If you need anything, just go up to Stevenson over there and ask for Maria. That's me, and I'll try and help ya out."

And with that, she walked back to the front, vanishing behind a set of swinging doors. Mia was left alone in the room, giving her some time to process what was happening. She was excited, nervous, and a bit unsure of it all. There would be other kaijin to interact with, and maybe one close to her age! And there was another Gamera here as well! Maybe she could learn a few things from them, and maybe even meet the older one. That would be really cool to see for sure.

But at the same time, she was alone again for now. Sure, it would be temporary. But that didn't make it any better as she sat in the seat, kicking her feet back and forth waiting for someone to come find her sitting here. She cracked open the bottle of water, taking a few gulps from the bottle, before closing it back up. When she looked up, a woman with brunette hair tied in a bun was looking at her, gesturing to a seat. Her necklace hung down, the comma shaped pendant catching Mia's eye.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

She shook her head, and the lady took the seat next to her. Thinking about the pendant around the ladies' neck, Mia turned to her and spoke to the lady seated next to her.

"You're Gamera's priestess, aren't you?"

The woman gave a bit of a surprised look, and turned towards Mia with a curious look. Before she could respond, the little girl fished with a small string around her neck and pulled out a small medallion like hers. Mia spoke with a serious tone, or as close as one she could have at the age of twelve.

"I have one pendant like the one around your neck, and that's how I talk to Toto. He's a little Gamera, and since you have one, you must be the one bound to the Gamera outside, right? So, in what little I was able to find out with library internet access when looking into the other Gameras, that would make you Stephanie Morgan, the current priestess of Gamera."

Stephanie smiled, giving an impressed look. This was an intuitive girl no doubt. She could almost feel the flicker of hope that dwelled inside her and the new hatchling, although there was something she was a little unsure about. Her spark was wilder, more chaotic than her bond with Gamera. Of course though, she wasn't surprised. Toto, as the girl called him, had no bond to Atlantis, or the goal that they had passed onto her guardian. They were freer to do what they wanted, and she had been impressed with them. They were far closer to each other, and even had stopped a few different kaiju before. It wasn't anything extremely overpowerful, but impressive for a twelve year old and a baby turtle kaiju.

"You would be right on the money there. I am Stephanie, bonded with Gamera. And I would assume that you would be Mia then?"

"Mhm."

"You're really brave for doing this Mia. I'm surprised that your parents let you do this."

"I don't have any. I lost them awhile ago."

The suddenness and the almost casual tone of the statement threw a wrench into her plan for conversation. She reached out a hand to her shoulder, placing it with affection and sympathy. Neither spoke verbally, Stephanie just bringing her in for a hug. The two stayed there for a minute, with Stephanie noting the small tears falling into her lap for a second. She waited til Mia spoke first, asking a question that pierced Stephanie's heart.

"Does it ever get easier?"

"With time. You still miss them terribly, but you make a new family of your own choosing. I lost my family to a Gyaos years ago, and I miss them even to this day. But I have Gamera, and my friends at the temple as my family now."

The little girl in her arms sniffled, nodding slightly and wiping away tears with a free hand. Her voice spoke, the tremble easing out with the more she talked.

"I-I-I have T-t-toto, and I hav-ve Kelly. She treats me really nice, and says that she wants me to be more like a kid than I am-m sometimes. She's not here right now because something happened back in the day that she doesn't like talking about. And then there's Miss Leslie, who likes living out in the woods. She's here somewhere, getting things straightened out. She makes me laugh a lot. And then we just met James. He's a bit shy, but I think he can do well. Toto says that he's fighting an evil only he can deal with, but I don't know what it is. All he was able to figure out was a "Yapool", and we don't know what that is."

She felt a flicker of recognition from Gamera all the way from where he had situated himself, but the name meant little to her, if ominous in tone. She simply let go of the girl, looking her into her eyes with compassion and kindness.

"See? You already have a family that seems to love you very much. With them, there shouldn't be anything to fear at all."

"Last I checked, she wasn't afraid of much at all," called out a familiar voice. Mia quickly popped up and scampered over to Leslie, latching tightly onto a leg. Chuckling slighty, she ruffled the girl's hair and looked up at the approaching lady. She extended a hand out with a smile to her

"Thanks for watching Mia for me. I was worried that she wasn't going to be able to be out here by herself."

"She is a fine, strong young woman. She and I were just having a chat before you came up. Taking from your dirt stained clothes, you must be Leslie. If it isn't too much to ask, what kaiju are you bonded with?"

"The big green guy of San Fransico, Godzilla. If I might ask, who are you?"

"This is Stephanie, she's bonded with the big Gamera we saw earlier," Mia rattled off, introducing her newfound friend. Leslie's eyes widened a bit as she shook her hand with a smile. Stephanie just gave a small chuckle at the girl's brashness.

"That's one way to introduce someone, huh? She's right though, and it is an honor to meet you. Your kaiju has been a guardian for good many a time, acting more upon the laws of nature that are in favor of the planet. While there has been more of destruction because of him to humans, it is something that just occurs in this day and age."

The sudden compliment caught Leslie off guard, making her blush a little. It had been ages since anyone had given her a half decent compliment, even if it was for the big guy more than herself. Most folks were more than inclined to shout at her to get off their property, swinging guns the whole time. It helped that she could take a few bullets without issue, and frighten most off. But a genuine compliment, now that was something of a rarity.

"Uh… thank ya kindly for that. Some of them tend to be more of just being in the right place at the right time, but he tries his best. Now Mia, I do believe that we're missing a certain James now, aren't we?"

"That would be because he's now under my watch," an authorial voice echoed from behind them. Leslie turned to see a woman in a fairly casual getup, wearing a kanji covered necklace next to what was a fairly shamed looking James. The lady continued to speak, looking at the trio with what seemed to be a polite but distant emotional state.

"Mr. Williams, having recently claimed Vakishim unwillingly after the Portland incident, has been put under my watch and care. While his way of controlling the beast is wild and unusual, they rather have him available on the sidelines if needed rather than in military prison."

"I lucked out there," was the follow up from James. "For a while there, they thought I had sent the beast to destroy Portland. When it was figured out to be a rouge beast beforehand, and I awoke with it in my head, they were a bit more understanding. Didn't stop the one guy trying his hardest to put me there."

"So, for the time being, I will be accompanying him as the one in charge of him in the case that the kaiju tries to take over. Stephanie and I have already met, but I am Akami Azumi, of the Okinawan Royal Family."

Leslie arched an eyebrow, surprised that a royalty member would be in charge of such a person rather than a military personell. But, she reasoned, that if she was here, she was also a kaijin. And kaijin were sometimes the only ways to deal with other kaijin. And if she was able to deal with that Vakishim bastard, well she couldn't be all that bad now, could she? She stuck a hand out, with a smile on her face.

"If that means I'm not watching him all the time, I'm A OK with that. Name's Leslie, Leslie Gorman. Since I guess that it's not too obvious, I'm bound with the Big G from the City by the Bay Incident. And this here glued to my leg is Mia, who's best friend is a young Gamera named Toto."

The girl gave a small wave from Leslie's leg, preferring to stick to it rather than talk anymore. Leslie unconsciously put a hand on her head to help comfort her, and to let go of the vice hold grip that she had. She relented slightly, but still held on rather than look at the new woman who was a bit scary.

Before anyone could reply, the power suddenly cut out, as if it had been switched off. Mia gave a small yelp, clinging tighter to Leslie as the rest of the kaijin looked around. Outside, sounds of people hurrying about and yelling could be heard in an attempt to return power to the base. It was all silenced by a cry that made Leslie and her connected ally freeze up at the sound of. She was one of the first that stepped outside of the building, followed shortly by the others to witness a sight that hadn't been seen in years.

Breaking through the clouds around the nearby mountains, it came accelerating downwards at fast speeds, crying out. Flapping its wings, the Hokmuto covered ground quickly, headed towards the military base. Any of the observers could note however, it was not the movements of a beast coming in for the strike. With zigzagging patterns, occasionally galloping at the tops of hills that would suddenly crumble behind it moments later, it was clear that it was being [i]chased[/i] by something far deadlier. It landed near the military base, quickly shuffling to the base of the hill as if trying to hide.

Their attention was taken away however, by the sight of something eerily beautiful and scary at the same time. A kid, not much older than that of Mia by ten years max, was stumbling towards them. Exhasution and fear was written in his face, and with a limp and a blood soaked line in his leg, was far from peak condition. The odd part, was the bolts of electricity that arced off of him and into nearby pieces of equipment. As he neared the kaijin group assembled with the soldiers, he spoke one sentence before collapsing onto his hands and knees.

"He's almost… got me…. help…. please…"

When the kid hit the pavement, a low chuckle suddenly echoed out. Approaching from the tarmac from what had been only moments before empty (Or had it, with their attention on the human lightening rod), a man strode down with a confident manner. He instantly rubbed Leslie the wrong way, and made Mia bury her face in Leslie's leg deeper.

"Aw, dat was a good run boyo. I thought I almost had ya back in the Rockies, but ya clicker saved yer ass dere didn't he? Unfortunately, dere ain't any help t' be had here. Unless," he said, gesturing out with his cane to the crowd that had assembled. "Dere is somebody here who'd like t' tangle with G and his big guest?"

The roar that echoed out over the base froze the blood of all, as they looked upwards. Peering out over the hill, giving a demonic grin, the Godzilla that had assaulted the Japanese landscape in 2001 and had left millions dead in the wake. With white eyes, it glowered down towards the crowd, and gave a short, cackling hiss in mocking tones.

"You'll only be able to harm this boy over my cold, dead corpse."

Leslie had pushed Mia to James, and stepped forward. There was no kindness in her gaze, only one of hatred and malice. A near snarl left her own mouth, as the sounds of another roar echoed out from the opposite end of the valley. Its thunderous footsteps could be felt from there, and mountain like plates shook as the alpha predator from earth's past met with his demonic doppleganger. Godzilla had emerged to defat this foe, a near blasphemy on the planet's balance more than nearly all other kaiju.

A clash unlike any other was about to occur, and challenge the world's wellbeing by storm.


End file.
